Originally Posted by brakechatter

From Bloomberg. Read very carefully:

Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL) may soon purchase more narrow-body jets when a tentative contract with its pilot union is ratified by a majority of members.
The accord, which includes pay raises of almost 20 percent, would allow many first officers to upgrade to captain while also creating additional openings for new first officers, Tim O’Malley, chairman of the executive council for the Delta chapter of the Air Line Pilots Association, wrote today in a letter to members.

The contract would also allow the Atlanta-based airline to add more 76-seat regional jets, although “this access can only occur if Delta first acquires small narrow-body jets flown by Delta mainline pilots,” while also getting rid of more 50-seat aircraft flown by regional partners, O’Malley said. Pilots prize jobs on main jet fleets because it means better pay and benefits over the long term.
Analysts have speculated that Delta is among the interested buyers of the 88 Boeing Co. (BA) 717s that Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) acquired when it purchased AirTran Holdings Inc. last year. Southwest has said repeatedly it would like to get rid of the planes as soon as it can.

The jets have 117 seats and if acquired by Delta would be flown by the carrier’s pilots rather than by regional partners.