I guess that depends on what kind of business ATSG wants to go for. The ATI certificate, tarnished though it may be, is still gold. So in the event of a merger, the CBAs and the certificates aren't married, so is it possible that ATI's is the surviving certificate, but with ABX's the surviving CBA?

My doubt with the ATI certificate is that our management doesn't seem to be interested in the things it makes possible. In fact, they seem more intent on dismantling our little empire from within. We've announced the impending demise of both of our -73 DC-8 freighters, and one -62 combi. That leaves one -72 and two -62 combis, with the intent to replace one of those -62s with a 757 near the end of the third quarter of 2013. That leaves us with essentially 3 radically different aircraft to service an unprecedented two-year contract with AMC, with zero spare aircraft opportunity. Wow... Impressive! We were also supposed to fly the Gitmo runs with a 767 after the New Year. I guess that isn't going to happen either, since we now no longer have the aircraft or the crews to man those runs. I could go on.

We've become a case study in how to not endear yourself to your customer. This roller coaster of confidence is at the lowest it's ever been for me, and I know I'm not alone. The pay was never the best, the perks and bennies fell short of many other places, particularly when compared with ABX, but as God is my witness, I really loved working here over the years. The fact that, by my observation anyway, the majority of our ABX alumni had no intent to return to ABX when their recall number came up really goes a long way to back that thought up. But this new low is really challenging my faith, my patience, and my sanity.