PG,

First, I am an ALPA member and at the end of the day my union speaks for me. That's my official answer.

Among friends, I am one opinion out of 11,500 or so. My opinion pretty much is summed up in Flying the Line I & II. I grew up in this business ... when coming out of Lorenzo's Texas Air fiasco we formally declared that alter egos in any form to be the greatest threat to our profession and they were not to be tolerated under any circumstances.

I believe the changes in 1998 were wrong and will eventually destroy our union if left unchecked. The DPA is just the most recent boil which provides an objective indication of the deeper underlying pathology. Will this localized infection spread and kill it's host? I dunno, hope not.

Frankly, Contract 2012 and the recovery of Delta flying leads me to see objective signs of recovery, or at least progressive management of the disease. I figured the DPA, like a fever, would be on the decline with outward signs of improving conditions.

So yes in my opinion Endeavor is an "alter ego." If asked for a legal, or factual opinion (not that I'm licensed to practice anything) I would say that Endeavor is not currently considered an alter ego by anyone who matters.

Surely you can appreciate the difference.