Alaska flying is permitted to be outsourced, but if they are bought by another major they will be merged. JetBlue flying is permitted to be outsourced, but if they are bought by another major.

Regional pilots have always been second class citizens within ALPA's master/apprentice two class system.

That's the entire story right there.

Thank you I get that. The main issue is why is it allowed for a mainline to buy a regional and force the pilots out of work? I am not advocating anything to affect mainline pilots job, position or seniority. "Permitted to be outsourced" also allows anyone to buy a regional and force effected pilots out of work?

JetBlue flying is not permitted to be outsourced by DL (nothing over 76 seats and a certain weight is allowed), and only a certain amount of seats are permitted to be outsourced by DL on Alaska planes.

That's it- your flying is allowed to be outsourced by our contract, so if corporate buys you, they don't have to merge the companies.

You can thank the Comair pilots for that precedent more than anyone else.

You guys did get a far better deal from corporate with the SSP (lots of guys that never would have gotten an interview at DL got jobs through that) than the Comair guys got.

Thanks again! Not meaning to be redundant but that's the problem in the regional system when anyone can just buy you and say take this or your out of work. Anyone can do that anytime but under the RLA you cannot strike anytime.

You guys were bankrupted by Phildo and company. Part of bankruptcy is getting stuff shoved down your throat. That's not isolated to the regionals.

We were bankrupted by the pilot integration, Delta was only going to pay us for the merger costs if we kept the jets, and the turboprops separate.

Tom Wychor, is on of the writers of ALPA merger policy. The regionals had a lot of input.

I doubt much thought was given to regionals when ALPA began its merger fragmentation policy as they were not around or envisioned starting in the 1950's. Not until mainline gave up scope allowing regionals to expand to what they are today along with jets and glass cockpits making regional pilots job virtually the same as mainline pilots. Only difference is like 80's says FFD, scope, size and weight. A lot of input if any would be between regional to regional but obvious not none or nothing when a mainline buys out a regional. Even if they did it must have been a waste of time.

Speaking of him. Yay or Nay?