I'll try one last time with this - and only because I am in such awe of DENNYCRANE!!

The arbitrators heard that we have a much greater number of near term retirements. DAL-S argued that no retirements could be counted on until they actually happened. So the arbitrators chose to give us a portion of the retirements. My point is this: If these 270 pilots chose to retire the day before the SLI, all DAL-N pilots would have been 270 pilots more senior on THEIR list and as such, would have been ratioed up higher on the NEW list. Sensing this might be the case, the arbitrators gave us a portion of our early retirements (about 270) at the SLI. If 270 DAL-N guys had not retired for a number of years, then the arbitrators would have guessed wrong and DAL-N pilots would have had an advantage. But since the PRIP has been such a success (and so quickly successful), the arbitrators guessed right.

That's my last shot at explaining this. I was trying to tell Bar and others that saying things like "unprecedented actions that advantaged NWA pilots" is like spiking the ball in your face in the end zone. The NWA proposal lost. The DAL proposal was by and large accepted. Any legal opinion would have to conclude that the NWA side's legal team lost the fight. It's just not pleasant to have people complain about the only bread crumb that was tossed to us by the arbitrator.

Don't know if that helps Denny, but that's all I got.

Carl