It takes a lot longer to train up and replace 12,000 ATP pilots than it does to train up a 11 thousand ATC guys. Many of my college friends were controllers who went on strike, and a few month later, many of my furloughed American Airlines friends replaced them, with only a few weeks training, until they were recalled to AA 3 years later (1984).

I don't know if you've heard, but there's supposed to be a Pilot Shortage coming up. Where are they going to find 12,000 777, 747, A330, 767, 737, A320, MD88/90 and 717 type rated pilots to replace us?

I was one of the few commercial flights flying (cancelled checks, BOS-JFK-DET-JFK-BOS) the first night of the PATCO strike August 3, 1981. I got 'direct' where ever I wanted to go, because we were about the only ones up there! All the airlines had cancelled for the night. BUT it was only their Supervisors who were doing the controlling. Do you think SD is going to get in a Delta Jet and fly 4 revenue legs, every day, 16 days a month? Who's going to be his F/O? JG? Or that hot blonde chick in the training video?

I know there would be some scabs, there are in every job action at a major airline, but if we could get 95% participation, RA might wake up and smell the Restoration....or lose a lot of his stack.

As with C2K, the real leverage comes with lost ticket sales in the months prior to the job action, just by putting the thought of a job action into the public's mind.