Smisek already has 70 seaters (actually 64 or 67 seaters with their first class added) flying through all of their hubs, even the FCAL hubs, when the CAL pilots swore that wouldn't happen. I'm not happy about that, but they were out smarted. Now they have a huge amount if ASA (ex Expressjet) E145s and ASA/SKW CRJs that are inefficient with high oil. So, they have major problems on the scope side, and the efficiency side (too many 50 seaters).

The UA/CAL contracts are a lot worse than DL's, in pay and work rules. It will cost Smisek an UNBELIEVABLE amount of money to bring that huge group up to our rates in this TA, and to change the work rules to ours in the TA. Huge. They have 100 "super premium" widebodies (70 777s and maybe 30 744s). Think of all of those Capts and FOs getting our TA pay? That would be great, but very very expensive. My friend over there flies the 320 in his 15th year as an FO and makes $94 an hour. What percentage raise would he have to get to get our TA's pay for 12th year 320 FO? Huge. I don't think Smisek is really smiling about a few extra seats on 100 or more RJs. They won't be able to pay for a monumentally huge pay increase for just one of their employee groups.