well the NMB has suggested breaks from negotiations of upwards of 6 months in the past, but often come back to the table with the parties sooner. when on ice you absolutely CAN continue negotiations without them if both parties are interested, and lets be clear... a failure of a TA here at SWA would cause an exodus of FOs that make what happened in 2023 pale in comparison and good luck getting anyone to come... so I think there would still be a strong drive for parties to continue to negotiate even if "on ice."

your quoted post from back when Delta AIP'd was intresting and I do think they sold them, and us short... but here is a real problem we do have... many here wanted to go LAST because in our minds we could get the best deal... perhaps thats true but knowing what all the others settled for makes it very difficult to demand a contract that is miles apart from the rest, the company and the NMB would argue it would cause a huge cost disadvantage (whether thats true or not doesn't matter) vs all the competition that couldn't be adjusted until all the competitors have to renegotiate and sign which is 5-7 years (accounting for the usual stall tactics) away... the time to have reset the bar was when the FIRST of the big 4 to signed a new contract, and that was Delta... they just set the bar too low and now the industry pays a price.