This legacy "mega regional airline" survived every down turn and no one has a crystal ball. Is it luck, intelligence, perseverance, planning, etc? I tend to believe it's a little bit of everything. The common rumor always has been that American was going to buy Alaska Airlines. This rumor has been around well before my time. A crusty old captain once told me that our boys used to crew American's 727s. All this discussion about how an airline should be run is good for chit chat among labor groups but I'm pretty sure upper management could give two cents about what we think. All you smart pilots out there should put your name in the hat for that coveted CEO position. Oh hey, don't forget to fill out that employee survey while you are at it!