Rolf - As someone who is non-union and in "management" of the legal definition this is just another roadblock on the way to sustainable profitability. The very existence of these threads, the glances of AT pilots in the concourses across the US and other outlets tells me that it should have been handled better. One could argue that the book will be closed on 1/2015 as the great pacifier of all arguments (money) kicks in but the realist in me tells me that the feelings from this could spill over for years to come after. I firmly believe that only someone who is looking short term (2-3 years) would call this a dream come true so herein lies my problem ever since I have been engaged in various ways since this whole thing began in 9/2010 - I have personally not seen one truly long-term decision being made by the powers that be on Mt. Olympus in order to retain all of our jobs in the long term nor increase even short term revenue (by making even incrementally small smart decisions) so that we may expand our fleet, network, hire more of you guys, more girls coming out of community college or some competent IT guys with US passports and put this whole debacle to rest.

The talk about QOL and pay over lifetime does not mean zilch if the hard decisions that need to be made are never made. There will be no QOL or Paycheck+10% regardless of the last 40 years if there is no execution today for the next 1 or 2 decades.

Ill give you an example of what really chaps my rear my friend. One word - Codeshare. If people within a football field proximity of where I am Monday-Friday had the balls to make a decision and execute on it not even just after the FL announcement but back in the planned WS codeshare deal and even before with ATA (we're talking about almost a decade when planning is considered between the 3) the mountain of revenue we could have taken in since legal close by combining our networks we would have handsomely covered the 3 years of B-scale pay some of our friends at the big A have, a nice bonus for everyone and maybe reconsidered the financial performance of various FL stations that have since been shuttered. Heres the thing that hurts though: If this complete failure of execution with such financial repercussions would have been committed at the once independent subsidiary, heck even if this happened at a Delta or US there would have been a massive house cleaning without diddly-daddling around.

And guess what? This one thing very well could have led to the consideration of more WN metal flying to more cities which equals more money for you guys in the long run, it could have equaled better trips and more hours in the short term for the "a" side since the network would not have to bear some really creative routings, shifting of the fleet or doing dirty laundry, it could have led to an equalization of pay in some form as it would have caused much less financial strain, it could have caused FL rampers not being outsourced after the acquisition in a half dozen stations and/or offered a lower job literally across the country or perhaps prevented them from working the shift that did not conflict with their family time.

What I really find futile is blanket statements that everyone in X thinks like this. Frankly its a bunch of horse manure.