here, i will give you the wikipedia answer, since it is 100% correct. Compass was nwa's managements way of getting around alpa and the pilots. to think any different is to have drank to much of the good ole nwa koolaid
Compass was formed due to a contract dispute between Northwest and its pilots union, the
Airline Pilots Association (ALPA), due to a "scope clause" in the Northwest pilot contract which is intended to protect pilot jobs and pay. This clause limited the type of mid-sized jets available to the airline, and seat capacity of those jets. Northwest is thus forced to pay its pilots existing pay in its contract and not create a separate pay scale for smaller jet aircraft.
In order to avert this problem, Northwest bought the
operating certificate of bankrupt
Independence Air on
March 10,
2006, for $2 million to establish a new feeder airline and new pay rates. During the concept phase, the subsidiary was known as "
NewCo". Compass' operations are limited to flying 76-seat aircraft or less, due to the language in the scope clause.
i can tell you right now there is nothing in these paragraphs that is incorrect. compass was the companies way of working around the union and its pilots. infact i can tell you right now that i remember when compas was first created it didn't scare pinnacle pilots or mesaba pilots. it scared the main line pilots.