Delta and Northwest Mergers: First-Hand Effects on My Family

Everyone hears about the Delta and Northwest airlines merger on the news. Most people wonder how it will affect their travel plans. They wonder if it going to be harder or easier for them to find a flight. Most people wonder if this might make flights cheaper, or will it make the cost of flights skyrocket. Most people don't think abut the effects this merger has on the people who work for the airline.

My mom works for Delta as a flight attendant, and our family looks at the merger completely differently. My mom wonders if she will be getting paid the same, or will she be getting a pay cut. My mom worries that she could be laid off, if they need less employees or if they decide to restructure their business. My mom has worked for Delta for over 10 years. She has been with them many years and Delta with many changes through out those years, but this merger has the potential to have a huge impact on her job.

The merger is not completely finalized yet. The airlines still have to come to a stock swap agreement, which could delay or end the merger. Delta and Northwest are also hoping the pilots unions will be able to come to a agreement. The pilot unions right now are trying to reach an agreement on how they would handle certain aspects of the merger such as how to handle the over 10,000 pilots that will be merging and their seniority.

The thing that my mom is happy about is that Delta's official's will remain in charge of the new company. This means that most things for her should stay the same. Things for the Northwest employees might not go as smoothly. No matter what company you work for, you know a lot things will change when your boss changes.

Fortunately for my mom she is a flight attendant. The Delta and Northwest merger shouldn't have as much of an effect on her as it will on some of the other airline employees. Delta and Northwest will be cutting back some, but this won't have a huge effect on the people directly involved in the flights. Delta has told most their pilots and flight attendants that any cutback shouldn't' have an effect on them.

My mom has also been working for Delta long enough that her seniority should help her, if they do decide to make a few cutbacks. My mom has heard that she will get a 4% equity stake in the new company, and she is happy with that. This merger won't have much of effect on pilots. The pilots are an integral part of the merger. The pilot unions will have to come to an agreement about stock and seniority before the merger takes place.

The merger will have a effect on the administrative jobs. Delta and Northwest have already announced that there will be cutback, and some people in the administrative side of the airlines might lose their jobs.

My mom says that if this merger goes through and becomes everything that Delta and Northwest are promising that this could be a very positive change both for some of the employees and for customers. The Delta Northwest merger should result in a stronger airline. Merging the two companies will result in a larger schedule with more options when you are trying to fly. It should make finding flights to many destinations easier.

While my mom has very positive expectations from the Delta and Northwest merge, you never know exactly what will happen. When things go through changes they often have to go through a period of adjustment. My mom says that Delta is doing everything they can to keep their employees informed on what will be happening. Delta is also working hard to make sure the merger has a positive effect on their customers.