There will be one consistant in every merger. If DOH benefits you as a individual then that is the only fair way to do it. If category and class benefits you as a individual then that is the only fair way to do it. In the end if this merger comes true a arbitraitor will decide.

If we'll merge with AS, you may a few of us at the new super premium narrowbody junior DL guys have a sudden coronary, and have to quit over it:)... It's just too much to take.

RA has said in his Chat With Richards that there are no plans to merge with Alaska. He said, and I'm paraphrasing, we get everything we want with the codeshare, its cheaper, and theres no reason to go through the mess of purchasing another company.

There is only one thing consistent from any airline management:

"That was then, this is now."

I have no idea about any mergers either, but I do know not to place too much emphasis that RA doesn't want to merge this week. Maybe next week or next year you will hear, "That was then, this is now."

It may be a moot point if indeed RA is not interested in acquiring AS.

If there is a merger, my gut says DAL would calculate the number of captain positions on aircraft larger than the 737 (what AS brings to the combined company) and start the integration on a ratioed basis at that point.

That's what they did with the pilots after the Pan Am purchase.

Then again, the "career expectations" of all AS pilots stops at 737 captain. Maybe there would be a fence?

Standby for announcement of impending merger any day now... :D

Or this might in southern speak a rare time when that the story 'bout free milk and a cow is the right way to go, a time when we are allowed to have huggin' and kissin' without a wedding vow, we won't let our love be put on the shelf and we are allowed to hand them lines and we don't have to have to keep our hands to ourselves.

My bet, and this is from an eyeball test from a guy who has spent time on the 4th floor... all 15 minutes during my basic indoc tour, is RA and Delta have no plans to buy Alaska but rather to make Alaska our largest and best Delta Connec... Codeshare. The cost benefit analysis, even when just considering the downside of trying to run them from the other side of the continent in paint schemes nobody recognizes, is probably screaming don't merge... unless they fail. Then that was then and that would be now.

That's a funny post.

RA also said when he came to Delta that "Im not here to merge Delta". About 3 months later........surprise!!!

"No plans to merge with Alaska" is secret CEO speak for "we're really going to merge with Alaska".

..........

You guys crack me up... hahaha. I completely agree with you, merger plans are impending as I type.

But RA did say it rather interestingly. He said why would we want to buy them? That would be very expensive and besides we are getting exactly what we want (feed in the west). Makes you say hmmmm. Maybe there wouldn't be as big of "synergy" payback as there was with buying NWA? Perhaps it is better to just keep them as codeshare?

Who knows? I fly airplanes. I just hope that codeshare language is tight. I don't want to see someone purchase Alaska and then cancel that codeshare. That would cripple the west operation overnight.