Originally Posted by Andy

Sorry, no, opting for full contract negotiations instead of contract extension wouldn’t have fixed it. Line pilots wanted pay and work rule improvements but have almost always placed a much heavier weight on pay than work rules.
It’s not so much that the company cares whether we take pay or work rules; it’s that pilots are by and large prostitutes who value money above all.
The company is willing to give us a package worth $X. Pilots decide the composition of that package and the company tells us what they’re willing to offer based on the value they attach to our demands.