In terms of the sale of Compass/Mesaba, the key issue is job protections for our most junior pilots. As I see it, there are two outcomes. The first, the flow is canceled and Delta then has to take 6 seats out of some number of 76 seat RJ's. The second, is the flow is maintained. The MEC created a layered economic approach to furlough mitigation. When the first furlough occurred, flow down would trigger and a certain number of jets would have to have the 6 seats removed. As furloughs reached 2001 hires, all 76 seat jets would have to go back to 70 seats or less. I think these layers along with management wanting to keep the positive momentum of the merger moving along prevented any furloughs. Certainly, the current hiring shows they made a good decision.

If option 1 is taken, then Delta could frustrate the loss of six seats in a certain number of jets by growing mainline. At some point, the three for one rule kicks in and they could grow back the number of 76 seat jets. Until that occurs, the most junior pilots would be more vulnerable to furlough. Obviously, adding enough jets to the fleet to trigger 76 seat growth, should point to additional hiring which is furlough protection from our most current junior pilots, but remember you now have a new crop of the most junior pilots and they would now be facing the gun. (we don't want to abandon them either)

If we take option 2, we could maintain the flow protections, but management gets to keep their 76 seat jets. It seems that there might be leverage in this situation for us to generate some type of furlough protection for our yet to be hired pilots and the intrepid airman that follow them. Perhaps we can layer in some economic penalties that protect all pilots on the list, even those yet to be hired. Also, it seems like we should honor the commitment to flow up for those pilot groups just as a matter of integrity.

Just my $.02 cents.