Big,
I chose not to apply at Delta, so what's your point? Your whole post sounds elitist and condescending and it's getting old. We are on the same team now and no one really cares why you decided not to apply at NWA.
15 years from now you
may be a Delta pilot and I
might be also. Or, we could be pilots for US Airways, Continental, United, or American or any ohter airline out there. If you were applying to the airlines 10 years ago you would have begged to get on at United; 20 years ago? US Air. 30 years ago? TWA. 40 years ago? Pan Am. So you can keep your choice, because you really didn't choose anything. You and I work for Delta now and all we can do is hope they survive for the duration of our careers.
The bottom line is that you don't really know or control any of this, so as one of my NWA buds on our message board often says, "just shut up and row."
You can stay on your soapbox, just get off your high horse, because those legs are weaker than you think.
New K Now