Right or wrong, it did provide an avenue for furloughed pilots to get back into the cockpit. The operation wasn’t merged yet. The transition agreement simply provided an option. Those pilots were all recalled officially with the option to stay in their current BES after the operational merge.

I was a voluntary furlough and bypassed until I felt a contract was close. I took a TPA job at that time because I wanted to go home to Texas. Then after the JCBA I was officially recalled from LUAL. Since I was a VF, I would have to go to ORD in the 320. I elected to stay in IAH on the 737 then bid up to the 777 a short time later.

It wasn’t perfect but worked for me.

Lee