So how many Captains lost their Captain seat once they came over to SWA? Is that normal? Did Delta or Northwest Captains lose their seats (don't remember who bought, merged, etc..) Did any CAL or UAL Captains have to lose their seats and go back through upgrade evaluation again?

I think I read in the past the AirTran pilots lost most of their seniority but was wondering if that was really true and if so, how in this day and age when they were not bankrupt? I had the impression that there were laws or regulations,etc... to prevent such behavior (not sure how to describe or name it.)

Do all the former AirTran Captains get back to the Captain seat or were they taken away forever?

Is this normal for an airline to buy another and wipe out the career of a fellow aviator / airline pilot?

What is the rumor for the next airline in the Southwest crosshairs? Will all of those Captains lose their seats regardless of how many years they had been a Captain or have the laws, reg's, etc.... changed?