What's not usual this year is the hundred reserve pilots that were pre-notified of their January furlough, with the added assurance they will not be recalled until maybe 2010 at the earliest.

I wonder how many of them will feel like making a personal statement to express their dissatisfaction with Comair/Delta?

How many of them will put family first this year?

Or how many will be having this conversation...

"I'm sorry I gotta work for the third Christmas in a row, honey. But I have to go! It's my job! Comair needs me! I'm a respected and critical part of the Comair team! Without me, hundreds of passengers will have a crummy Christmas and ignorantly blame it on Delta. I can't let that happen. If Comair doesn't keep our performance numbers up, Delta will lose faith in us and before you know it, we'll have Chautauqa, Skywest, ASA, Freedom, and Pinnacle coming into CVG and doing trips Comair couldn't do because I called in sick on Christmas! Remember how we got those Honey-Baked hams last year and two years ago? I owe a lot to Comair and you and the kids will just have to live with it. Now I have to go pack some PB&J sandwiches because no place will be open on Christmas. I have a hard day on the 29th so the kids can open presents then. You tell them the bad news. I'll see you in 6 days. Comair will make it up to us someday, I promise!"