RED TAILS NO MORE

DELTA BEGINS TURNING RED TAILS INTO WIDGETS
FIRST 747-400 ALREADY RECEIVES NEW COLORS

Some weeks ago a crusty old veteran of the airline game approached me and made a prediction. He stated that it wouldn’t be long before Delta took the pride of the Northwest fleet; the 747-400 and changed the livery to the Delta look.

He said; “they’ll want to make a bold and hard statement to Northwest employees that they all belong to us now.” What better way than to take the gem of the fleet and snatch away their identity quickly.”

I don’t know how accurate his thinking was or if, indeed, that was what Delta management had in mind but you can’t argue with the outcome. It happened.

It reminded me of my past and the airline I used to work for; Western Airlines. Like all airline employees, we Western employees received great satisfaction in who we worked for and the unique niche we had carved out for ourselves in the airline world. We were mavericks who enjoyed life and had great pride in our airline and laid back attitude. When Delta purchased us in 1987 we all had mixed emotions; happy to still have a job but sad to see an old, reliable friend disappear.

It was much like losing a family member; we had our fond memories and watched day by day as another one of our planes lost its identity through the miracle of paint. When the last Western aircraft received its new coat of Delta blue and red, sadness and misty eyes gave way to the reality of moving on and turning the page.

I have always thought that painting them all was a bad idea. We should remember who we were and have an understanding of our history, past accomplishments and who gave each of us sustenance.

We have, for quite some time had planes painted in liveries that symbolize causes; breast cancer awareness, sporting figures, historical milestones, etc. Why not leave one plane always with the red tail of the Northwest color scheme? A symbol of respect to those who have joined us and a ground swell of long lasting fond memories for all.

Perhaps we should have a composite plane with various identifying markers from our collective past; Northeast, Republic, Pan Am, Western, Northwest; a history lesson for all to contemplate and a source of discussion for passengers and employees alike.


All ex-Western employees still bleed a little for our old company. It would be good to see Wally Bird and that big red ‘W’ come around the corner one day and pull into C6 in SLC. I’d actually pay good money just for the pleasure of feeling new and young again.

To all of my new friends I have made since the merger announcement as well as the professionals I have met during this IAM union campaign, I say to all of you; we will succeed as one airline and will prevail in our efforts to unionize.

The one bond that is hard to break is the strength and brotherhood garnered through the decades of membership and fellowship one has with union affiliation.

Unlike the paint scheme, this is something you can bring with you to Delta Air Lines; something that will last longer than the new livery on an aircraft. Your union family will never turn their backs on you like Delta managers did when times got tough. The IAM won’t abandon you when the economy weakens, as Delta employees experienced during the nineties when our leaders jumped ship. The IAM is not a fair weather partner that looks to buy you out when the ship is overloaded with burden as it now seems to be.

There is new strength in our combined numbers. We have a constant, trusted friend in the IAM. I look forward to meeting all of you in victory and friendship.

Bruce K. Church
SLC Ramp