Hugh Jass

I really dont understand the legal mumbo jumbo per se, but I'm guessing since DHL Airways (ASTAR) had a Scope agreement with DHL to fly all of the US freight (even though it would have been impossible for either pilot group to do once Airborne was in the fold and it is impossible now considering that ASTAR carries 40% of the freight with half the airplanes due to the incompatability of ABX's "C" cans with the rest of the world) that it would have been stupid for them not to protect what little they had so that they would not dissappear from the face of the earth when DHL bought Airborne? Was Astar supposed to sit back and watch everything go away? Wasn't Astar fighting DHL...not ABX and then ABX decided to jump in? There is no judge who would close ABX down. What are the Astar pilots to do? Were they supposed to lose everything and do nothing or fight for the scraps they have and try to protect them? Would that have made the ABX pilots happy? I try to put the shoe on the other foot for both sides of the fence and I see where this would make DHL very happy.....plus ABX and ASTAR MGT would make more money for management because the they would have the same ACMI agreement, pilots make less and management make more. All I know is that DHL, ABX & ASTAR love the odds right now because they are winning and the 2 pilot groups are losing because they are not at least appearing to have support for each other during contract negotiations. Fight all you want after you both have better contracts. When the dust settles...you will still have the same issues that will never be solved but your paychecks will be larger instead of concessionary.

I fully understand why an ABX or Astar pilot feels that the freight carried is rightfully theirs..

The fact is that ABX and Astar will always be there because DHL likes it that way...If ABX and ASTAR pilots don't at least have the appearance of unity ...you both will loose and have concessionary contracts (DHL, ABX & Astar management love that)

I fully respect both pilot groups...and you are both in tough positions. The only winners right now are your management groups.

Your union leaders should have a sit down and iron this out or the uninformed union members will speculate "what if's" until the next pilot group gets thrown in the mix (Polar...or others) and you all will be the losers.