Originally Posted by
DAWGS
IMO, HA guys would make out well in an integration. They have more wide-bodies than narrow-bodies (23 to 15 on APC). I think overall it would lead to more stagnation for the part of our list that has been stagnated the most. I have a good friend at HA who is a
40 year old A-330 Captain 
. 500+ guys would probably be placed above me, especially when they get done with their hiring and I'm a 12 year FO at Delta. I agree with you that I would rather it be HI than other airlines, however it would lead to more stagnation by putting some very young guys at the top of our list. The reality for those of us who have stagnated and grown older, no merger is going to be pretty with any carrier that has grown even a small amount. Most of the carriers I've heard in rumors regarding mergers have younger pilots with advantageous relative seniority. In the case of HA, they would be bringing some very quality people and bases. Maybe I'll get to throw the gear for my HA braddah
. Howzit Bully?
They would only get the positions above anyone that they brought with them above anyone. We would all get their retirements as well and benefit from the combined network.
Or we could wait til AK grows another 15-20+% and
then merge with them. Or not merge with them and keep or increase the massive mainline outsourcing.
There would be some downside to a HI merger, but the upsides would outweigh them. You did bring up a good point about relative seniority dramatically buffed by a short burst of hiring over a few months. Should that buff the entire list by the same percentage over an entire career? We would certainly make that case to the arbitrator but either way we're not done with mergers.