The training contract enforcement debacle was indeed true. The company attempted to charge the guys who were staring a furlough in the face for the balance of the training contract if they quit before their furlough date. In the end, the company backed off and ate some serious humble pie. You don't have to worry about that anymore because there is no training contract (unless you were a street CA).

As for TOWOP... why would you think we would start furloughing? We are in the middle of growing... we need everybody. That's why we are still hiring! TOWOP is a way to save money when there are too many reserves.

They beefed up the saab numbers early on so that the fleet could still operate while many guys were leaving the saab to fly the jets. Combine that with the initial 2 month delay in the 200s arriving, the training backlog and the captain seatlocks I think their plan backfired slightly. Thus, the need for street captains and the releasing of the seatlocks.

With the 200 staffing nearly complete, the 900 will continue to pull saab CAs to the jet ranks. When the training bubble gets back to normal, the saab will then be sufficiently staffed and things will settle down. Until then, there isn't any need to have 30 reserves not flying and getting paid to sit around. Therefore... TOWOP.

In the past, when we were shrinking, TOWOP would be the precursor to voluntary furloughs and invol furloughs. Those were different times. I wouldn't be too worried about TOWOP at this point. Welcome to Mesaba and enjoy the ride.