It was known within the executive circles that Delta's cost structure was going to result in bankruptcy probably as far back as the year 2001. ALPA did not know, went through a period of denial, then made the best of it.

To form your own time line based on objective data points, look at when Mullin came in and formed his team including Michelle Burns. Obviously that team brought great reorganization and bankruptcy experience to the table and they were chosen despite a lack of any airline management experience. That tells us something. Those with airline management experience were passed over, like Hollis Harris, who then went on to do a good job running World.

Also consider that the cost of C2K was basically equivalent to the Company's profits during the economic boom leading up to the year 2000.

Publicly management was running around saying the industry was achieving a new cost paradigm where it did not matter how much money Delta spent because American, Continental and United would be forced to match Delta's spending. ALPA drank this cool aid right up since it helped them achieve United Plus.

ALPA is smarter now and Delta's board also seems to have an acute understanding that no one makes money when the stock price goes to zero. While the airlines wanted to reorganize in bankruptcy, the only folks who did really well were the inner circle, a few attorneys and Mullin's former employer McKinsey.

It is sad what happened to Delta over the last decade. I've frequently thought about writing a book digging into the tragedy. The same administrative inner circle is still in place within DALPA and while it could be hoped they learned something, events like the Compass vote suggest otherwise.