For clarification no one is talking about stapling anybody to the bottom of any seniority list. That was disinformation. This isn't SWA or AMR type merger. This is two major airlines both of whom are bringing a lot to the table but first let us understand why there is a seniority differential between NWA and Delta when both have hired and furloughed at the same time (baring the recent new hires). As well discussed DAL senior pilots took their lump sum and ran in droves. NWA did not terminate its pension just froze it and did so before NWA went into bankruptcy. NWA never had a lump sum option, if we had, we would have seen pilots take their money and run in droves also, thus mass seniority gains. Our senior pilots have their monthly pension plan frozen close to what they would have been paid if the pension plan would have never been frozen. (with respect to paycuts and pension formula of one's best 60 months in past ten years). Thus, for the next five-seven years the pilots hitting 60 can collect (7-13k) a month (pending pilot/yrs of service/equip etc). The average age of NWA pilot is closing on 53 ergo we are going to have half of our 5000 pilot seniority list hit sixty in the next seven years. So, if merged, either way the pilots at DAL will get another windfall of movement. I am a 12 year pilot at NWA and I have talked with several of my buddies at NWA and DAL and it seems that we all would be content with an equitable integration mixing respecting relative seniority and DOH. (96 hire not behind a 98 dal hire etc. but something reasonable.)
Further, Northwest has 68 787s on order (an airplane that will be double crewed) where Delta only has 12 777 on order. Further, the parking of DC-9's is somewhat of a neutral issue as we do not have the crews to fly them anyway. They are still upgrading people to captain and zero displacements are projected. Let me be specific. Our airline is 18% understaffed right now and it gets worse by the day. We had 83 new hires by this January however we had 119 pilots retire or resign in the same period, thus we lost 36 net pilots. So, that should calm some junior guys fears.
Pilots historically have acted in their own self interests which in a macro way has hurt our profession. I hope that this will not be the case with DAL/NWA and that a fair/equitable solution is found even if it means guys like me lose a year or so in seniority.