FWIW, coming from the peanut gallery:

Economy 2008-2009, bad.
Merger, good.
Pilots pay rates increase, good.
Pilots not making as many hours as pre-merger, pre-bad economy, bad.
Pilots making 218 hours of pay on 95 hours of flying, awesome.

Changing work rules so all pilots fly above guarantee and making lots of money, good... UNLESS, in this soft economy it then creates over staffing and then furloughs. And those of us at the bottom go from being insiders to being outsiders.

My vote, that'd be bad. But thats because my number one concern is a blonde hair blue eyed squeeze-a-muffin with not a care in the world watching Barney right now wanting me to kiss her bunny.

You know there are some major and minor winners and losers in this whole merger, but I can think of some winners. The guys who once commuted and now don't. The long time DC9 LCA who lived in Brooklyn who now drives to work to fly a DC9 stretch. I know of a ATL 88 guy who has moved back to MSP I think to be back with his wifes family.

I'll be back, after a certain 26 lb beats me l'oi