Southwest is no longer a low-cost airline, and it hasn't been for some time. The only "cost" that was lower, for a while, was fuel because it took a gamble and hedged extensively. As you'll recall, CAL tried to hedge a while back and it backfired. Southwest is now on a level playing field with the rest of us with regard to fuel prices.

It is totally unionized has has been for decades.

When Herb Kelleher and Lamar Muse started Southwest in the late 1970s, they make a strategic decision with regard to labor. They weren't going to fight their employees. Rather than hiring a union-busing law firm to discourage organization, Herb actually violated the Railway Labor Act for a few months by giving its fledgling pilots' union space in the company headquarters building until it could lease its own property.

IAHflyr, are you the "one" person who wrote Jay Pierce in favor of Delta +1 a few weeks ago? You'll recall that our MEC Chair put out a call for anyone who favored that proposal -- once management posted its opener on its negotiations web site -- to drop him a line. One Continental pilot wrote in favor. Was that you?

Now, as far as your contention that Delta has an "industry leading contract," take a look at its scope clause. No, CAL and UAL have better scope clauses than that.

Are you really in favor of adopting a contract that will allow the company to operate some 25 of the 95-seat regional jets? How many of your fellow pilots, at legacy United and legacy Continental, would be furloughed by such a provision?

If you're in favor of that, I can't help you.