From June 2012 to 2013 there were 74 fewer Captains. You were told that the staffing efficiencies would net net save the Company about 125 jobs or about 62 captain jobs. Now 62 seems pretty close to 74. You were also told that the efficiencies would cycle in before the 717's arrived. So yes, that was a concession, but I believe a concession that was well spelled out to the pilot group during the TA discussion.

There is not one section of the contract is perfect. If you want my list of things that need to get better it would take 20 pages. The question is are the ADG and reserve pay exactly what you were told they would be or was there some deception involved? If you wait until you get the perfect contract you will never get another contract. I have been on reserve, by choice, for May, June and now July. August looks like reserve again. This is the best reserve system I have seen in 25 years by light years. Still could be better, but this contract had large improvements.

I have heard this refrain over and over, that Delta was getting 717's and parking the 50's all by themselves. What I have never heard is any semi coherent reason to explain why then the company gave us a billion dollars in contract improvements 6 months before our amendable date. Do you have an explanation?

United was 3 years overdue, Continental 4 years, American 5 years, US Air 7 years. Southwest is now almost a year overdue, they got 0% last year and so far 0% this year. So with all those airlines so many years overdue, with only fractional retro pay, why did Delta get this contract done in a short period of time and months early if they could achieve their re-fleeting goals without us? Financially it doesn't make sense to me. Perhaps you have a better explanation.