Delta pilots reject arbitration with Northwest pilots
By HARRY R. WEBER , Associated Press
Last update: March 19, 2008 - 4:42 PM
ATLANTA - Delta Air Lines Inc.'s pilots union rejected Wednesday the idea of submitting to arbitration with its counterpart at Northwest Airlines Corp. to break their impasse over integrating seniority lists as part of a possible combination of the carriers. 

"In short, there will be no binding arbitration," Lee Moak, head of Delta's pilots union, said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

Pilot union leaders at Northwest had suggested in a memo to rank-and-file Northwest pilots on Tuesday that arbitration may be a way to break the deadlock. Traditionally, arbitration in these situations is binding.
(read more)

Northwest pilots try to keep Delta merger deal alive
Analysts question whether either airline could thrive on its own and say a consolidated carrier could operate more efficiently. A potential Delta-Northwest merger is waiting on an agreement from the airlines’ pilots unions, which are struggling to integrate their seniority lists.
By LIZ FEDOR, Star Tribune
Last update: March 19, 2008 - 12:21 PM
Northwest Airlines pilot leaders signaled late Tuesday that they are attempting to keep a merger deal alive with Delta Air Lines.

In a memo to Northwest pilots, union officers expressed support for "expedited arbitration" as a way to resolve their seniority integration conflict with Delta pilots.

Meanwhile, Delta's management pressed ahead Tuesday with an aggressive plan to combat high oil prices, including cutting 2,000 jobs, or 3.6 percent of its workforce, and slashing Delta's domestic flight capacity by 10 percent later this year. (read more)

Delta, Northwest Pilot Leaders Resume Labor Talks
By Mary Schlangenstein and Mary Jane Credeur
March 5 (Bloomberg.com)

Delta Air Lines Inc. and Northwest Airlines Corp. pilot leaders resumed talks to reach an accord on meshing their unions, the last major step needed for the carriers to merge, people with knowledge of the matter said.

The meetings restarted yesterday in the Washington, D.C., area, said the people, who asked not to be named because the discussions are private. Delta and Northwest rose the most in more than a month in New York trading.

The sessions were the first between the work groups since union bargainers failed to agree two weeks ago on how to combine seniority rankings for 12,000 pilots. The talks revive prospects for Atlanta-based Delta and Northwest, of Eagan, Minnesota, coming together to create the world's largest airline.

"Nothing can be accomplished if they're not talking, so just getting them back together in the same room is a big step," said Kit Darby, a retired United Airlines pilot who now runs Air Inc., an Atlanta-based career-counseling firm for pilots. "Pilots get their rewards from a contract that's governed by seniority. This is everything to them." (read more)

Pilots in a position to make or break deal
Despite the immense challenge, a solution could still be found to resolve the seniority conflict between the Northwest and Delta pilots that's blocking a merger announcement.
By LIZ FEDOR, Star Tribune 
March 1, 2008 - 4:36 PM

With a merger agreement between Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines hanging in the balance, the highest stakes may have switched from management to the leaders of the two companies' pilot unions who have been unable to combine seniority lists.

Northwest pilot chairman Dave Stevens and Delta pilot chairman Lee Moak both insisted that the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) be brought into merger talks at the front end of any deal. (read more)

Sources: NWA-Delta Merger Talks Hit A Snag
Feb 28, 2008 6:48 pm US/Central
Lisa Kiava (WCCO-TV)
Merger talks between Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines have hit a snag. According to a source close to the negotiations, the deal hasn't been called off but there are signs of trouble.

For the past several days the airlines have been sending out conflicting reports about the talks. (read more)

Pilot seniority still big issue
Delta, Northwest play it coy on merger
Situation cools off at end of week; deal may be scuttled entirely
By Paul Beebe
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 02/23/2008 11:02:23 AM MST
The brouhaha last week over whether Delta Air Lines would reach a merger agreement with Northwest Airlines had the properties of a musical score.

Talk of a tie-up between the No. 3 and No. 5 U.S. carriers (by number of passengers) started slowly, or adagio. At midweek, whispers of an imminent deal had reached a deafening crescendo. But by Friday, the noise had ebbed to piano, perhaps even pianissimo.

What happened? (read more)

Pilot talks likely to delay Delta, NWA merger
Nathan Hurst / The Detroit News
February 15, 2008
Negotiations between the pilots at Northwest Airlines Corp. and Delta Air Lines Inc., who are currently weighing in on their role in a future combined carrier, will likely delay the announcement of a merger between the two carriers until early next week, sources close to the situation said Thursday.

The pilots, who are collectively represented by the national Air Line Pilots Association under two separate chapters, on Thursday continued work toward an accord on blending seniority lists. Those lists, based on a pilot's length of service with a carrier, are vital to determining their pay and access to prime routes and work hours. Northwest has about 4,800 active pilots and Delta 6,300.

Sources described the talks as tedious, but not particularly tense. (read more)

Merger plan upsetting to Northwest pilots, expert says
By Margarita Bauza , Detroit Free Press
Last update: February 11, 2008 - 7:45 PM
DETROIT - Northwest Airlines pilots are unhappy with a proposed merger plan from Delta Air Lines and Northwest because they are concerned their seniority wouldn't be protected, said an expert familiar with the talks.

Doug Marshall, an aviation professor at the University of North Dakota, said Monday that pilots from both carriers recently saw the plan for how they would work for the combined airline and that there are many issues to sort out.

"There is no legal requirement that they are fully integrated," Marshall said of Northwest pilots. "You could get a senior 747 captain flying a Delta regional jet. (read more) 

NWA pilots won't be rushed into merger deal
By LIZ FEDOR, Star Tribune
Last update: February 10, 2008 - 12:31 AM
As Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines move into the final stage of merger talks, the head of the Northwest pilots union said Saturday that his members will not be forced into quickly agreeing  to a merger deal.

"We will not be stampeded," said Dave Stevens, a Northwest captain and chairman of the pilots union. "We will not make a deal with any entity unless it is the right deal for Northwest pilots." (read more)