I also appreciate the education pieces and have found them very valuable.

Lew is a cynic, and I don’t mean that in a negative way. You need cynics in this world and especially in this industry. Casey put out that he and the VPs had dinner with Bob and two of his minions. I don’t think there was any effort to hide that fact at all. It was framed as swapa communicating directly with the CEO on how they are being stonewalled by labor relations. I think that meeting is exactly what is supposed to happen and could be invaluable in speeding up this ridiculously long process. FWIW, all the comms coming from the CEO, COO, and flight ops is that they want the contract done, they understand they are going to pay market rates, etc etc. This is 180 out from the Gary and Mike show last contract when we were told we needed to do our part to keep costs low to preserve 15 percent ROIC, which as everyone knows is the key to getting into heaven for dead accountants.

So now is Bob Jordan’s chance to prove he is a man of his word. The message has been sent with no filter. Will he deliver? I don’t know, but I do know there is no excuse for him not to.

As far as industry lagging and being second tier, we all have a vote. I know what my lines in the sand are and they are sacred. It helps me make an unemotional decision. I also know that buried in the language may be something that I don’t particularly like. If it is enough to make me vote no, then I’ll do it. I don't care. No votes at this airline have typically resulted in a quick TA2 with big improvements. We also have the fortunate history of paying our retirees the retro they are owed, so our elder pilots have no reason to vote yes for a turd.

Hold the line, don’t be afraid to vote no, and absolutely hold swapas feet to the fire. We will get there, it is just going to take some time.