I guess some cannot see what is going on here. It is not Timothy H calling these shots. It is TPG who with NWA (soon to be DAL) owns a major minority stake in MEH. What is happening now is two fold. First, it is the first of many attempts at a run around on the DAL Section 1 scope. We will put our flight numbers on these flights as a "Code Share." Two, It solves the AAI issue in MKE by keeping MEH alive on some pathetic level, and have RJ's operate the majority of the flying. Thus, keeping these gates occupied so that AAI cannot make any case to try and make a true go of it in MKE.
Lastly, it deals with the issue of survivorship of the MEH pilot group and what will happen when the final nail is driven in to the coffin.
I assume that leaving nine 717's on the ticket allows the company to state that selling these 717 to someone (anyone) to be a financial transaction and there be no grounds for the pilots to follow them.(Ala just airplanes and not the entire airline) Sucks but it is the same thing that happened when AMR sold the 717. AMR sold the 757's to DAL. DAL sold the 767 to ABX. Needless to say there are many more, but in all instances none of the employees went with the airframes.
As I have stated the events at MEH are far from over. I love that airline. They are truly one of the few that "gets it." It is sad to see this happen. I just hope that we are all wrong and something better than this comes from it.