Quote from a BB post: "It is likely the Delta MEC had advanced notice that Delta intended to buy ASA and Comair (can't prove it) but we do know the Delta MEC led a push to remove that merger language at the 1998 ALPA BOD.

Concomitant with the denial of Comair and ASA's merger request, ALPA adopted this "permitted" model which divided ALPA members into preferred and non preferred groups.

Without a real merger policy, there was no way to force real, structural, unity. In effect ALPA agreed to alter ego whipsaw, as long as it existed at the permitted aircraft level.

The perception was, and is, that express jobs are not real airline pilot jobs. That for some reason your flying, which indistinguishably mimics the flying I do, is simply a stepping stone to a real job ... and only real jobs should be protected."

Unless I am misinterpreting this then there is NO real language to protect regional pilots when being bought by mainline? Also indirectly it seems ALPA allows whipsawing for regionals that it does not allow at mainline?