Great news, I truly hope our MEC embraces this outside the box concept. Last go around the LUAL co-negotiating chairman was Phil Ottis, Phil is our negotiating committee chairman today. As I mentioned on a previous thread. Phil was at the table when the company in our JCBA negotiations (UAL - CAL merger contract) offered an outside the box provisional concept to bring some 50 seat flying to mainline flown by mainline pilots under a UAL contract and flown with regional FA’s and regional below the wing staffing. Both MEC’s declined to proceed with pursueing this outside the box concept at the time.

Today Kirby wants more 70/76 seaters. The only way that’s going to happen if these new potential additional aircraft are flown by UAL pilots at size approriate UAL rates. Additionally, thinking outside the box we could prevent these potiental new RJ’s from replacing existing 737 & A319/320 flying and on routes these planes fly. Essentially restricting them to the type of routes Kirby says we need to fly them. Smaller markets into our hubs not hub to hub or hub to large market, ie. EWR to ATL or ORD to DFW.