Boyd's been saying this same crap since 9/11. If they keep saying it enough it'll eventually be right. Props are dying and being replaced by RJ's more completely. Small RJ's are being replaced by "big" RJ's, but here we have an issue over what actually constitutes an RJ as these planes are blurring the lines. A 175 isn't much of an RJ, it can fly across most of the country. Is it short hops that makes the RJ? No... there are plenty of aircraft like 737's and A320's that do SAN/LAX or BOS/LGA. BOS/LGA is only a 35 minute flight.

On the other hand, there are RJ's doing flights that traverse the country. IND/MIA. PIA/DFW.

Not only is Boyd wrong, their analysis is does not reflect the shift in the industry.

What it should reflect is the reduction in the smallest and oldest RJ aircraft to be replaced with larger RJ aircraft and a shrinking and possible consolidation of regional carriers.

Don't worry if you can't understand it. I know its challenging. Many before you have thought code was a free for all too that belonged to airline management. And sometimes, in the case of non union shops, or those union shops with inadequate scope language, maybe it is. But in other cases, a pilot group absolutely does own and control the code. DL code is owned by the DALPA PWA. Period.

I'll make it super easy for you.

1. Attempt, even as DL management, even as a DL shareholder, even as a DL BoD member, to fly DL code outside what the DALPA PWA permits you to do.

2. See what happens.

What does that even mean?

Are you talking like which Flight Attendants they hire? Or how many planes they paint pink during October? You're getting really esoteric here. We are a pilot's union, therefore we only concern ourselves with pilot stuff. I guess the company can decide to pull out of a profitable market without our permission or something. Is what what you're trying to get at? Actually, even then that may or may not be allowed such as in cases of certain international agreements, or even agreements with regionals. We have absolutely no say on what brand of peanuts they serve though, so if that's what you mean, you're right about that.

I'm just referring to what pilots they use to actually fly the code. Its us, always, unless its part of our permitted exceptions. When DL code gets put on a flight, we own it, unless we have allowed to include it in a specific exception. I guess if they put the code on a line of SuperFake Rolex's on Canal Street, there wouldn't be much we could do about that, so you may have a point here. But if they want to fly the code, they have to come to us.

Actually there IS quite a few restrictions in the DALPA PWA that places restrictions on the code share partners and what DL mgmt can do. Stage lengths, percentages/ratios of flying, hub to hub flying, aircraft sizes, weights and numbers etc etc etc.