If it was the rates, management would not have signed. They were confident they could make money with those rates. The problem is, management is inept, so instead of making a profit they furlough&fire, and then give themselves millions, because they "saved" money. It is their inability to run a profitable company that is the problem. Did you read up on "plan B', the transition they are thinking will save NK? NK will go from getting 1% of the $200-$400 per segment market to getting 20%, by changing..... nothing much. No lounge, no getting the gate agents and ground crews back on the property, no good food, no connections with other carriers. The total lack of any "management" with a vision is what is killing NK. And even the day to day running is a total disaster. I spend 12 years writing emails to fuelburn@nk and nothing got better. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed my job, the people I flew with, but I always saw the gaping holes management made as opposed to fixed. You sound like you blame the pilots for the failure of management. Like you say, Delta can pay more than NK. Maybe question why, and remember NK management gets the same as Delta management....