I think you were hired recently at DAL. If you were one of the early 2007 hires then you will retire very well with a merged DAL/NWA seniority list. At first glance, newhire DAL guys will end up coming out very good in the long run with the combined list. Why would you leave a merged company that will be the biggest airline in the world if you can retire in the top 100 or so? You may take a few lumps in the next year, but with all the airframes coming to both airlines and all the international growth planned, I doubt there will be many furloughs as a result of this deal. This of course is all subject to change if the economy continues to tank and oil goes to $150bbl. That is more of a threat than a merger in my opinion.