Hey Ferd,

Sure, it's crap. It's crap because it has zero power to accomplish anything positive. It can't change the outcome of what has happened.

Keep in mind you're bringing up two separate discussions here. The first is the SLI, and the e-mail Keenster elected to post. If people like to e-mail each other and vent about how "we" got screwed by "them", more power to them. Let them relive the past in whatever way they see fit. Just don't expect a receptive audience on forums that include both groups, because the line for people that got screwed is 12,000 names long.

The second discussion involves the "adopt-and-go". I will be the first to agree that many of the changes must feel very frustrating. I think it's also frustrating because it kind of pokes a big fat finger at the notion that this was a "merger of equals", or a "blend" of the best of both worlds. I think Flight Ops is getting a little confused in some of the "touchy-feely" approach, and expectations have been set that cannot truly be met.

If you view this purely pragmatically, from a corporate transaction, or from the standpoint of the brand, Delta bought Northwest. The problem is, we employees don't view things that way: we are people, and we have our pride. I suspect that it's not possible for a Northwest pilot to view things in that pragmatic a way. You are intelligent, capable people, and you have been doing things very well, for a very long time, in your own way. You don't want to lose your identity, and you resent being told what to do, and how to do it differently (as does any normal pilot). So there is a conflict between the stark reality that Delta bought Northwest, and the obvious reality that employees have pride and must be treated equally, and with respect, in order for this merger to work.

Flight Ops is dancing around this, and has chosen the "Adopt-and-Go" model, with the promise that the end-result will be "a blend". In a way, this is a cheap way out. I don't think the end result will be the kind of 50-50 thing they advertise. But for now they get to avoid explicitly saying that the resulting airline is Delta. The problem is, they're intorducing a new avenue for fighting: procedures. I heard of a former Western pilot that they were given the Delta manuals Thursday, and told to use the new procedures Monday. I'm sure it wasn't easy, but they knew where to go, and noone dangled any carrots in front of them that, not to worry, we would "blend" the procedures later.

So now, you have a situation where pilots are (naturally) disappointed in the SLI, AND you get to re-live the merger every day by having long-winded discussions about what the procedures should be. Maybe this will be the avenue that allow some people to try to get even for their frustrations in the SLI... I can hardly wait.

Personally, I think there are a lot of Delta procedures that could use a thorough review, and I'm ready to discuss them with you one-on-one as we fly together. For now, I think maybe Flight Ops miscalculated by promising future "blending", to try to gloss over the current 80% change. That 80% sucks, no doubt about it, but it's not helped any by vague pretenses that you're not really having to change everything. You just think you're scrapping your identity, and 80% of your procedures, but you're actually "adopting-and-going". See how much easier that is?

Maybe a little more intellectual honesty would have helped. Had they been more direct, and more explicit about the fact that we're, really, Delta, they could have put more energy in showing to all fNWA pilots that we are now all valued Delta employees.

I say "energy", but money will do the trick too.