Originally Posted by Ftrooppilot

Delta will favor regionals that are / have:

Stabilized (strike pending ?, furloughs, etc. )
High morale (read the threads)
Good training facilities and staff
Capability for rapid expansion
Ability to minimize training costs
Owned
Good working relationship between ops and management staff
Good working relationsip between union and airline management
Good safety record
Minimized costs

An example of costs is comparison of the Average FO pay during the first five years. Pinnacle ($31.10), Mesaba ($31.20), Comair ($33.80), ASA ($35.40), Compass ($34.20). Using 500 FOs at 70 hrs per month, there is a 1.5 million $$ difference per month between the high and low - that's just FOs. Imagine the total crew cost comparison.

The above is just an exercise and attempt to explain the rational that MAY be CONSIDERED BY Delta manager decision making when assigning future aircraft purchases or MOVING AIRCRAFT between regionals.