It’s believable.

RG’s sole purpose at the table is to attempt to dupe the MEC/NC into trading auto-accept for items that will ultimately cost less. His career hinges on moving the Flight Ops budget back toward historical levels. He’s not going to concede after one month by signing an agreement that permanently transfers all auto-accept costs to other areas of the contract. He’s firmly in the “denial” phase.

More than likely, his tactics have already failed. We’ll pivot to the long game, the C-suite will eventually accept that Flight Ops’ costs are not moving backwards, and a deal will be signed after a couple years. If we’re lucky, RG and HT will become their sacrificial lambs in the interim.