Ok, since we are having a 'respectful' conversation, I'll chime in. This is for the outspoken F9 guys (FAULTPUSH, Bolo, etc.)

I hear constant remarks about us native RAH pilots 'stealing seniority'. I try to see the situation from your point of view to fully understand your viewpoints, but fail to understand the blaming and disrespect toward line pilots over it. Here's a little about the bottom of the IMSL: As a spring '08 hire I ended up junior to all of the Lynx pilots, and I certainly don't agree with it. From a DOH point of view, I am junior to Lynx pilots hired well after I was. From a 'career potential' standpoint (which is how they did so well in the integration) I fail to see to being a junior turboprop FO at a bankrupt airline holds so much more career potential than a furloughed FO at the airline buying up that bankrupt airline.

The biggest difference between your situation and mine is that yours is basically hypothetical, but I'm going actually be affected. Come April, I'll be bumped down in base (and farther from holding DEN as a base) because of the incoming displaced Lynx pilots. Here is why I say your situation, flying the Airbus with native RAH pilots you feel should be junior to you, is hypothetical:

1.) The vast majority of the RAH pilots senior enough to cause you heartburn in 6.5 years, are east-coaster live-in-base types that have no intentions of uprooting their families to move to DEN (or commute) to 'steal' your seats.

2.) The vast majority of junior CA/senior FO types have no intentions of being employed by RAH in 6.5. Most are miserable at this airline and are looking for the opportunity to start at the bottom of major airline, just like you did. An integrated F9 spot is not something most of these people are even considering.

3.) All this bickering is probably for not anyway. F9 is likely to been spun off/sold, and the IMSL will mean nothing. Most RAH are perfectly fine with that.

To generalize, I would wager that the only people that might be interested in a spot at F9 are people like myself - VERY junior (i.e. stuck at Republic for the foreseeable future) AND are west coasters. Even if the IMSL stuck, we'd be below you anyway. Personally, I'm fine with that. Of course with 2200+ pilots there will be exceptions to what I am saying, but promise you this is generally correct. We are not some big group of lying, cheating, inexperienced pimple-faced 22-year old flight instructors drooling and clamoring to bump you down in your airplane as someone (FAPA maybe?) paints us to be.

I certainly don't agree with how I was integrated, particularly when it comes to Lynx. I will be DIRECTLY affected by it as well in April. I however, will welcome Lynx with open arms unlike how you treat us. I know better than to blame line pilots, and I do understand their situations suck for them too. Many can't hold DEN anymore, some were CA's and are now downgraded etc. This situation sucks for all of us, but I won't be flipping them off in the jet bridge over it.

Sorry for the novel, but one more question for you...What would you have done differently? You all say you earned your spots at F9, so I'm sure many of you were at regional airlines prior. Try to imagine being an RAH pilot and tell me what you would have done differently. Would you have:

Voted FAPA?
Voted RPC?
Quit your job? (That'll show 'em!)

These are the only possible answers I can think you may say, besides just not being born in the first place. You may not realize that there was many of our pilots very unhappy with IBT when the previous EXCO was just coming into office. I would say many were at least willing to consider other union leadership. That quickly changed as things transpired. The 'staple the regional scum' proposal wasn't exactly a hit, the anger and jumpseat denials over IBT lanyards didn't help, nor did the all-too-often one-fingered salutes from F9 pilots in the halls of DEN. At the risk of sounding like a "you started it" guy, I would say that many who would have considered FAPA at some point, were quickly turned back toward IBT by the anger and resentment resonating from that side of the house. You often speak of the IBT's antics behind closed doors. Well, maybe you speak the truth, but I wasn't there, and only can go by what was communicated to me as a line pilot. By the way, during the card drive, I got some real interesting information from FAPA and RPC.......nothing! The only entity I received ANY communication from during the card drive period was IBT. The communication was also professional. I have never read nor heard and ill word from the IBT about your pilot group or union leadership in their communications to us as a pilot group. Ever. So, what would you have done?

I jumpseat F9 very frequently and find the majority of the crews there to be very professional. I just wish some of you would get off your battle thrones. I still see nasty glances, and occasional remarks when jumpseating. I don't wear my IBT garb as a show of respect (since it upsets some of you), but see hypocrisy in guys who get upset at those lanyards, sporting FAPA lanyards themselves.

If you think I've stolen something from you, I'd be happy to enlighten you as to what my life is like as a 4th year FO, once furloughed, making peanuts for pay, commuting to a crappy reserve schedule at a company that abuses their reserves. I'll gladly hand over whatever it is you think is yours.