UAL's downfall was a result of a permanet shift in industry dynamics that started with deregulation. CAL's downfall occurred much earlier in this shift, resulting in two CH11 filings. The only good to come out of that for CAL was that they were already slimmed down for the post 9-11 / LCC rise era. UAL, having not been through a CH11 "cleansing" yet, obviously was not.

Since you were probably still busy at the time playing with that paddle in college, you don't realize that our careers began at UAL like yours did at CAL (with better contracts though). Rapid movement, left seat in under 3 years if you wanted, widebody F/O after a year on the panel, etc. Some pilots did this, while others like myself said no thanks and stayed senior. However, the reality of the pendulum swinging back the other way put an end to that era.

Despite CAL being in a better position to contend with the industry post 2001, all it ultimately did was buy some time. When the DAL / NWA merger was given the go ahead, the CAL business plan as a stand alone entity was dead. The losses began to mount, and the financing for the aircraft orders was on thin ice. The expectations you had when you were hired were over, just as they were for us seven years before that. Don't forget that in the Spring of 2010 UAL and USair were in deep merger negotiations. Smisek personally called Tilton and intervened to stop it. Why would he have done that if the CAL business plan, and the expectations that you had riding on it, was still realistic?

Which brings us to my RJ comments which were intended to strike a nerve with you. You are correct, it is ridiculous for me to point my finger at a current or former RJ pilot like yourself and blame him / her for how my own career expectations were changed. You were right to call me out on that. How then, in an industry as dynamic as ours, do you justify coming on this forum and accusing someone like me of stealing your job?