Maybe, maybe not. I turned down an interview at another legacy while I was at VX because I liked how things were going. I was pleasantly surprised at how my seniority was progressing, I was happy with the work environment and everyone that I flew with. The trips were pretty good. Hell, I was even in an amazing crash pad with other VX folks. I was fairly content. The pay could have been better, but negotiations were in progress and who knows how it could have turned out.

I wasn't particularly happy or sad when the AK buy happened. I was heartened by the fiscal stability and larger network within which to work, but I wasn't very happy with some of the corporate cultural differences between AS and VX.

At the end of October when the results of arbitration came out, I updated my apps for the first time in almost a year. Seeing management's total victory and some major quality of life setbacks coming with the schedules and routes, I figured I'd test the waters and see if one of them would bite. A few months later, I got the call and just today I was awarded a base an hour and a half from where I live. So, I guess it worked out, but I'm still a bit sad to leave VX. But I'm not sad at all to leave AS.