Usually rumors are just that, rumors. But once in a while some rumors do come true. ie., NWA Delta merger rumor was going around for over a year and no one seriously believed it will actually happen until it actually happened (officially not yet approved but in every aspect it looks like it is going forward).

I do not see Compass merging with Mesaba because there are too many barriers to have that happen. For one, Mesaba has the protection against NWA pilot flow down, only the same number of Mesaba pilot who have flowed up can flow down to Mesaba, even then the seniority numbers of those Mesaba pilots who have flowed up remains vacant so no one is really displaced at Mesaba, where as at Compass, everyone can be displaced by NWA furloughees. Another is there are way too many senior pilots at Mesaba who will never agree to merging the seniority number with Compass unless Compass pilots are stapled at the bottom and I seriously doubt Compass pilots would go for that. Date of hire might work if certain conditions are met. This does not mean anything though, if the NWA management wants to merge Mesaba and Compass, it will happen no matter what. I have not heard any substantiated facts to this rumor so I am discounting it.