True, but the calculus of what we are fed vis a vie the costs of the mainline doing the flying certainly changes.

We're told that cost studies show that the mainline cannot compete with DCI, not because of the pilots, but because of the ancillary labor groups.

That works until you realize that other than the pilots (and the dispatchers, who's incremental added cost is probably negligible), the DAL workforce is entirely non-union.

So now we have DGS doing the above and below wing work, for the SAME labor cost as the mainline, because they're the same people, so scratch them off the ledger.

Who's left? MX and the FAs. The company is absolutely FREE to dictate whatever terms and conditions they wish to these groups for the 76 seat flying. So that end of it is certainly within the company's control.

So what's left? The pilots, but that takes us back to them saying "it's not just the pilots". Um, no, it IS just the pilots.


Nu