I agree and I don't think such a TA would be put out.

I'm trying to figure out the chess match here and doing a bit of transference on ALPA as to what they're goal is.

Let's say ALPA's desire is significantly stronger scope and FedEx rates. Let's say they make that public and the company makes nothing public.

If you're the company, you hold out and in your opening you say 3% COLA increase and 100 scope sale. Now you know what ALPA wants as a minimum so your goal now becomes to go to arbitration and then turn to the arbitrator and say find somewhere in the middle you're willing to compromise.

A compromise of course would probably be halfway between everything, we'd get half the difference in pay and scope. The masses are livid.

So if you're ALPA you say nothing and tell everyone expect nothing because you can't be blamed if you come in exactly there. But you come in with an opening that says 76 seaters reduced to 70 seaters and that number cut down to 75 aircraft plus contract sunsets. You also think the best and affordable rate is FedEx + 5%, so you ask for C2K + full restoration plus interest.

Now when you go to arbitration you work it out in the middle and you were willing to allow some scope to remain and you're pay rates were nothing more than return to what you once had. A middle location may be FedEx+5% and good scope. You're heroes. No more calls for DPA or FPL to be unveiled.

I don't know. Trying to play devil's advocate. I'm transferring what I want to ALPA here I know and they've gone silent so who knows.

The problem is you have to trust an organization whose relationship with national makes you so uneasy so as to believe interference will prevent ever practically recapturing scope in any way shape or form if it costs the aggregate DALPA+DCI pilot group jobs and income to ALPA. That's the problem.

I think lowering expectations is insurance against a failure. I think playing chess means you don't reveal your first 10 moves so I understand some silence although I don't see enough to make me believe what I said is the case.