I think that’s a reasonable take, at least I can certainly see the logic (I’m a 9E guy). I do want to point out that while my wife gets S3A when we nonrev, my parents do not. They get S3CR when they nonrev, which translates to them not nonrevving much. It’s only active 9E employees and immediate family getting S3A. And yes S3A is very helpful for commuting, which is 95% of what it gets used for in my household.

I think there’s also logic to giving some priority to active employees and families, even at the regional level. If you want to talk “fairness,” I think considering the contribution a 9E pilot’s spouse makes to Delta’s bottom line versus a mainline parent would be a worthy mental exercise. I am not demeaning the value of parents in any way—I just think that given what 9E employees contribute to the operation, saying that my wife’s S3A “ruins” a mainline parent’s nonrev benefits is a weak argument. For that matter, today I would go behind most mainline spouses and kids on my own 9E metal.

Having said that, speaking personally, I would not feel comfortable getting a Delta One upgrade on a transoceanic flight before a mainline retiree. I value the decades of contribution they made, and I hope someday to have the schedule flexibility to nonrev across the pond and put my money where my mouth is. Assuming we ever get over covid.