IDK that Sailings opinion carries any weight in how any individual pilot bids.

Personally, I am not bidding 73NA or 717A, but some of my peers probably are. To them, it is progression. IMO, for me, either would be a paycut or a QOL cut or both.

The extra stripe carries meaning for some / many / most pilots. As it should. Adding the positions is not a bad thing. My perspective of whether any of the slots are growth has yet to be proven or disproven.

If we end up with Capt 80 knots after this bid, I think that would be a good sign, but not proof of growth.