You would be amazed how this could happen...hang on the next 24 months are going to be a wild ride.

Not to send the thread in an entirely different direction, but I can't imagine one reason why the SLI would or should favor ASA. Because they have a few people that have been there forever? Despite what many over there seem to think, they didn't buy us. They had no involvement in our purchase at all; they were simply acquired by Skywest first.

Hopefully they are open-minded enough to just do what's fair and do it by relative seniority. I've actually met a lot of ASA types on the road and especially in the crew bussed in ATL (I park in their lot) - they are generally nice guys and gals no different than us. Everyone is just trying to protect their interests.

Anyway, the SLI won't matter to me as I came to xjet after the merger and will be stapled to the bottom of whatever solution happens. I just prefer it happens fast so I have some hope of bidding to Atlanta so I won't have to commute. That hope keeps me going.

Of course, you have to wonder what's going to happen with the Delta TA and some of the huge shifts coming to the industry over the next few years. Like I tell anyone who will listen, the minute it becomes apparent that I'll be stuck in the right seat at a regional for some huge amount of time, I'm gone. This was always a roll of the dice.

Can you name me a single time a pilot group has been "bought" outside of a bankruptcy deal or proceeding? what's the upside of "buying" a pilot group for a major?

You're looking to past precedents... for what we're about to experience, there has never been anything like it.In the next three years alone, more people will retire at JUST the legacy carriers than there are pilots at the new combined XJT. Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures. Not saying that I necessarily believe that any airline will buy another pilot group, but some unorthodox methods will surely be used.

It's gonna be a crazy ride

Relative seniority favors ASA captains over XJT captains, and favors XJT fo's over ASA fo's. This is how I saw it on a chart done both ways (DOH and relative) after the merger was announced. It's going to be hard to do it one way or the other when either way affects people in the same side differently. ASA captains will be fightingfor relative, XJT captains will want DOH and vice versa for fo's.

Fair enough, but shouldn't we be talking about how many legacy retirements there are going to be relative to the size of the pilot groups for the regionals in total? In other words, it's impressive that upwards of 3000 legacy major captains will be retiring over three years, but there are almost 3000 pilots at new jet. There are 3000+ at Skywest. There are thousands more at the rest. Will the movement be as fast as you think? I don't know. Mabye, maybe not. Trends away from smaller regional aircraft will reduce overall pilot demands. New rest rules and ATP requirements will increase it.

You are right about one thing; it will be a crazy ride. I'm just not sure it will be a good one for all.

I didn't understand at first but now I get it - yeah this could be interesting. I hope it doesn't take forever and go to arbitration, but who knows. Of course, if CRJ's keep getting dropped then I won't be able to get to Atlanta anyway.

I think there is going to have to be a quantum change over the next few years. At some point the new expressjet is going to have to get more into larger regional gets than the few at the legacy ASA side. Wonder if the new JCBA will lay the groundwork for that.

Pizza and beer? :D

You are correct. Let's not forget that the flight schools are empty. when congress came out with the new flight time rules, ATP lost millions in tuition alone due to a high drop out rate as a result of the new flight time rules. management is aware of the upcoming pilot shortage and are thinking outside of the box.