I'll bite. We are about 800 pilots overstaffed at the moment and have about 800 retirements through 2016. That being said, a merger with AA and the ensuing consolidation will send the junior 15% or so packing for a very long time. Add in the contract language allowing 3 76 DCI planes for each mainline aircraft above a specified amount, the DCI aircraft arent required to be reduced when mainline shrinks back down and the fact that our domestic network is largely contracted out already........

Not buying it? 12,600 pilots at the merge, DC-9s, 747-200s and several 757s have been parked/sold and we are barely at 12,000 now and overstaffed. 787 deliveries cancelled too. We are far from safe without a merger.

You get the idea.