UAL and DAL have both thrown more money than that away in share repurchases. At least you got something concrete for the $4B+ in price and debt you had to take on, even if they are just airplane leases. I think your management is smart and it was worth it to stop JetBlue from stealing market share. The only thing that would worry me is the $1.5B in debt that just got added to AS and that the profits from AS will be paying for that for years, because the VX operation isn't going to cover it. That and the likelyhood of the SLI being more favorable to VX just because the union policy is so weighted toward Status and Category, thanks to United and all their "Jumbos" wanting to make sure they did well in any merger.

Other than that, welcome to the world of being an airline pilot, having your career tied to the decisions your management makes, and really having no say in the matter.