That's a good one! :D

Well go read the threat on the other forum about this. One of ATN's former ALPA guys can give everyone some insight.

No, DOH at...

Delta! (ie. next month)

Oh, and they have to bring their own kittens, but we get to kill them! :D

What other forum?

I think this is what you are referencing...



While we don't "own" the aircraft, a sale of the leases directly to Delta would be enough to trigger our Section 1 Scope language; that's already been discussed. Doesn't matter if the 717 leases are paid for by cash or by other assets, including delivery slots that are owned by Delta.

Otherwise, Sec 1 Scope is triggered, and the pilots go with, subject to A/M integration, per the ALPA CBA, which is in full effect for the AirTran pilots and wasn't negated or superseded by the Southwest Seniority Integration Agreement and/or LOA.

The interesting "gotcha" in all this is "sublease", which is a word Gary Kelly has used recently in conjunction with the 717. If Southwest retains ownership of the leases and sub-leases the planes to Delta until the leases expire, the only language in the CBA is that they can't do something with the planes that causes furloughs. If they move each group of 717 pilots to the Southwest partition prior to the planes being sub-leased, and such sub-lease then does not create furloughs, then it appears the Scope language isn't triggered, as we technically never had a "Major Asset Sale".

Then 2017 comes up, they start going back to Boeing, or Delta purchases them for whatever is owed to Boeing or Delta negotiates their own lease terms but, either way, Southwest is out of it at that point, all the pilots are at Southwest, no one is furloughed, etc, etc.

It really depends what management WANTS to do, on both sides of the coin. If Delta and Southwest say so, Delta will get the pilots (and WHICH pilots would be an interesting bid to watch). If they don't, they won't. Either way it's way over the pay grade of just about everyone on this board, regardless of how people feel about it, so might as well not worry about it until it's announced. What will be, will be...

I would not waste more then about 2 minutes wondering if the Airtran pilots would come with the aircraft. Delta management would not even consider the deal if that were the case. There are to many other much simpler options such as all the A319's sitting around. Aircraft can always be found. Management is trying to position the airline to be ready for the final round of consolidation. The last thing they would want to deal with is a semi merger and all that entails at the same time.

I agree with your statement.

Needs to be bumped. So glad I married a Colombian. Mmmmm Sofia

Oh HELL no!

So once a company signs leases for particular planes, pilots are immortally attatched to those serial numbers until the full and complete exhaustion of said leases? I doubt it. Wishful thinking from someone that wants to sport bid across airlines for no good reason.

In the extremely, extremely unlikely event even a few pilots come with the planes, and there is no way a single one should, 99 year fences at a minimum is mandatory. Not to mention if that guy thinks 88 out of 700 planes over what would very likely be several years would trigger the fragmentation in this or even a previous contract, he's huffing some serious modeling glue.

So the AT scope was so weak that SWA could have operated the entire airline separtely and phased every one of them out pretty quickly, but the AT scope is so strong that their pilots own the seats to specific planes even if those planes are replaced completely with other planes?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFtLONl4cNc