I can't help but think you're just kidding, because you're always thinking much further ahead than this. As a parody of the kind of short-sighted thinking that got us to where we are, the above is just perfect.

Scope doesn't just apply to the airplanes you're on now, but also to the airplane you were on before. That's because someone else is on that airplane, and it matters very much to them. If you're not interested in the job security of the entire list, you're opening yourself up for division, and thus conquest.

You should also note that none of this has anything to do with growing, but recapturing existing flying. I must be much closer to the bottom than you, because adding bodies behind me matters to me. I've already found out the hard way that there are worse things out there than having to slide back to a small jet.

Either we want all Delta flying to be done by Delta pilots, or we don't. It's when we try to decide which Delta jobs we care about that we invariably [deleted] up our careers.

No Sink, I'm not kidding. And, once again, I get it. What I am saying is that bringing smaller jets to the company is fine. It certainly behooves the junior guys. I'm not opposed to it, I actually applaud it. HOWEVER, if anybody thinks that it means we are thriving is sorely mistaken. We are a huge international airline. We pride ourselves on being the best pilots in the industry. And, in my opinion, we are. The company can't grow and WE can't grow if we don't aspire to build our WB fleet. I saw an Aeroflot 777 take off from LA last night on its way to Moscow. Do you know how many 777s we have? Frikkin Aeroflot? Which we now code share by the way. We are quickly becoming a ticket brokering regional carrier. Not what I have in mind.

I'm sure they will trip all over themselves to give us 777's and maybe even 380's if we gave up 200 seat and under scope.

Smaller planes equal disproportionately more pilot jobs. Be VERY careful what you wish for.

The company is going to get the planes and fleet plan that the company is going to get. We need to fight to fly the smaller end of that fleet plan just as we do the larger end. I'd rather us get 80 something 747-800's and conquer the globe instead of 80 something 717's, but its not a matter of either/or. If we get 717's the company is getting them anyway so we better dang well fly them, and there will be no insane Republic C Series deal with the devil to get them either or anything that puts DL pilot jobs under Hulas or any of the little ceasars running the ACMI outsourcing multiverse with more large RJ's than they have today. If we fall for that we will get punked on the next down cycle, and there will be a next down cycle.

Ahem........

You know RA well do you? Better cnx those MD90s coming in. No chance for 717s. I guess those acquired DC9s at NWA never happened either. How about the 742 freighters. He's always looked for value. Look no further than then operating economics of the 739.

RA would buy 777s in a heart beat, if and only if, it'd be more advantageous for DAL pilots to fly them. Right now, it appears DAL is more interested in JVs/Code Shares.

Double dong!!!

As long as we agree it's not an "either-or" proposition, then you're obviously correct: we want Delta pilots doing Delta flying, and bigger planes are always better than smaller planes.

RA would outsource every DL 777 in a heartbeat, even if it were more expensive to do so, if he were legally allowed to do it. They all read from the same flow chart.

https://www.lucidchart.com/documents...a-10082df8b38b