I’m not sure how specifically the law will be interpreted on this case, but PR risk for AAG is probably larger than its worth. The cost savings of furloughing a few hundred or even a thousand or two regional pilots is minimal compared to the risk of coming under fire for taking government money and then furloughing under some loophole corporate structure.
Obviously, this is just my opinion, but I doubt this is the last help AAG will need from Congress before this nightmare is over. I don’t think they want to bite the hand that feeds them right now.