Sorry for posting what is probably easy for me to look up, but an AE into a brand new category does NOT incur a seat lock right?

I believe you will incur a freeze. However, a new category is open to anyone including those currently under a training freeze. I could be wrong though.

I think this was (is) the version Mr. Anderson said we wanted and eventually, we will want some. It isn't a 757 or L1011, but for a Tupperware death tube, it has nice lines.

Bugger... so do I stay at the bottom on the 88 bouncing between bases and wait until I can get back into MSP, or try for the DTW 717 and suck up two years commuting there (again)? If only they would tell us if an MSP 717 cat was on the horizon...

No...not really. The point is we shouldn't have had to give up the profit sharing to get the cost of living raises we got. We should have gotten both. ANYTIME you give up something in our negotiations it is rarely ever going to come back. I too would rather the hourly pay, but not at the expense of giving up something we already had. Remember....they came to us that time. You can call it *****ing if you want. I call it selling out cheap. Yes...I did vote no.

It would seem once we begin hiring you could hold MSP MD88 in very short order. I've heard no talk what so ever about a 717 base in Minneapolis. For one thing, the inlets let too much snow in.

I voted no also ... however there was more than cost of living in our raises.

http://www.tradingeconomics.com/char....png?s=cpi+yoy

More is always better, but as I out earn a US Airways mid seniority Captain ... it is hard for me to complain about the earnings side of the equation too much.

That's the wild card... being over 200 below that bottom of the base, I'm not sure I can make up much ground unless they choose to add slots again. The CAPT slots on 717 and 73 could help move folks out of the base ahead of me, but I don't think they will really expand or add MD-88 positions there as they hire. Then again, I'm new and haven't seen what happens to categories when there is hiring. I barely snuck in over the last bit of hiring.

darn internet connection

Tough call. But a MSP DTW commute is probably painful.