Merger deals are made by Top management who only cares about how much money goes into their pockets. Unless NWA and DAL has strong Union reps who know what they are doing, junior pilots at both ends will be, as usual, left out holding the bag. They will be stapled to the end and how it is done will be determined not in their best interest but whatever suits the company management and in the interest of the few senior wide body international CAs.

I think they are asking for DOH. I'm sure they are not trying to staple anyone. NWA pilots konw that EVERYONE has to be happy or NO ONE wins!!!

We are still reeling from the merger in 1986.

How can a seniority merger keep everyone HAPPY? I don't think that is possible.

Have they learned nothing from the US Airways debacle?

Don't I know it. I lived thru the TWA/AA debacle in '01, and I'm still furloughed.

Trust me, DL/NW will NEVER top that one! All you guys will be okay.

won't that screw senior delta pilots (they're younger) and NWA junior pilots who are looking at a lot more retirements than their delta counter parts.

I think so. LEt's just part and remain friends.....

the only successful mergers are the ones where nobody's happy!

That said, best of luck to all concerned. I have a lot of friends at both airlines.

If the negotiators are trying to put "thousands" of young Delta pilots at the bottom of the list, it sounds like they think that NWA pilots have to be happy and that the young Delta pilots don't matter in this deal. The only way to do it fairly is to do it via relative seat position. If I'm 80% on a small narrowbody airplane now, I should be in the same relative position after the merger. If that puts me ahead of a NWA guy that was hired before me and he keeps his relative seat position, it's still fair because we are relatively in the same spot. If relative movement up the seniority list has been faster at Delta, then that should be reflected in the integration.

if CAL had merged with delta last year (hypothetical) when they were putting new hires in the 777 should they be of relative seniority to delta 777 fo's. the size of airplane that someone flys isn't always an indicator or their seniority.

what about the first class of new hires? where should they fall in line. deltas was in jan/feb while nwa's was sept/oct. do they have the same expectations and be put about the same seniority? what about the expected retirements between the 2. nwa was expected to retire a bunch before 65 compaired to delta.

delta has some a/c orders while nwa is parking some but getting the 787 in august08/feb09/whenever they get done.