Kirby could NOT have furloughed 4000-5000 1 October. It would have decimated TK staffing and hamstrung retraining those left into proper fleet/seats. Once everyone is trained, the company will furlough to whatever level it needs based on demand. We may very well see 4000 furloughs next year, if demand dictates, because the training backlog will be solved (and because more senior instructors will be online by then). We paid, through previous contract negotiations, for having TK manned by seniority list pilots. Like furlough pay, RJ seat pulls, and LPA changes when pilots are on furlough, TK manning is meant to make furloughs more expensive for the company and thus act as a brake on the depth and speed of furloughs.

Kirby was holding a pair of twos and bluffed us to fold with a full house.