*** Most intelligent thing said here yet. ***

Too bad more people don't get it.

I don't have a dog directly in this hunt either, but ultimately how it plays out will likely effect all of us in the industry. If the two groups get together, get united (sorry for the play on words), and demand some badly needed changes the entire industry will benefit, including your own group come contract next. BTW - personally I'd start with all flying over 9 seats (no I didn't leave a 1 or a zero off) is performed in house, but that's just me.

Screw it up and do another crap-tastic job like UselessAir and we'll all suffer from the fallout as 60+ years of our predecessors fighting (and dying) for better pay, security, and working conditions continues to unwind. It's your move, but the outcome of the game WILL reach far beyond the limits of your playing board.