As someone whose life and career were majorly affected by a furlough from a large European airline in 2003, I wish my airline and my representatives had been as creative and flexible as my current employer and representatives. The devil is ALWAYS in the details and language. Had they been as creative and flexible I’d probably be a widebody captain right now, as my contemporaries are. That door closed for me when I left Europe. It wouldn’t have had to with more creative thinking. Creative doesn’t have to be the same as caving to concessions. It is more about defining common ground and figuring how how to best serve the most people. Sometimes, yes, that can require compromise.

As it is, I spent 13 years in RJ purgatory before landing at SWA in early 2017 as a 50-year old new hire. Very, very happy to be here (and enjoying my ExTO in Florida at the moment!) and hoping for the best. I think we need to avoid a few things.

1. Playing our hand on a public forum.
2. Using divisive rhetoric against our own pilot group.
3. Speaking in absolutes. The world, including ours, doesn’t exist in just black and white. There are a million shades of gray.

Let’s see where we are before we end up painting ourselves into a corner.

For the record, I’m also opposed to concessions. But I’m also always willing to be creative. Not the same thing.