I agree with part 1.
Part two, mostly just wanted to express how much I don't want to merge with SWA, because of how they treat their acquired employees.

This guy ^^^^^ gets it.

Symbian, I wish you the greatest successes at NK. And I doubt we will see any sort of merger between our employers.

Now, prior to any merger, all sides of corporate and labor attempt to protect their own. Afterwards, it would be counterproductive to treat anybody poorly.

True, but it sure is fun to spin Whackmaster up again and again so he can self torture himself to the end of time. I've watched a TV show where Hell is just a place where miserable people punish themselves again and again. APF is a good preview for WM.

Well, do you honestly believe everyone forgot how they were treated the moment they changed the gold for silver stripes? I know for a fact the last classes, quite a while afterwards, to go from 717 captain to 737 fo, regardless of seniority on the combined list felt poorly. Not just because of the downgrade, but the attitude received ( and given I'm sure) from the SWA side. It was very different from newhire class (again, both from close personal experience).
Having said all that, I have ex-TWA & AWA friends that feel the same about LAA and LUS so there's that.
I would rather pass on all.

It’s funny, because 7 years into the merger, the overwhelming majority of the former AirTran folks are very happy. Hell, about half of them I get 2 days into the trip before it comes out that they used to work for AirTran.
You would assume by listening to whack and a few others that it is the worse thing to ever happen to their careers.
It was a hard pill for some of them, I get that. Lives were uprooted in some cases and a lot of guys had to do a victory lap in the right seat. All that being said, 98 percent of them are just happy to be alive and flying the line at a solvent and functioning airline that allows them to spend 18-19 days a month at home with their families. 2 percent of them make 99 percent of the noise and won’t let it go. A lot of swa guys (myself included) lost seniority in the merger, but they don’t complain nearly as loud.
The juniorist AirTran FOs are coming into the upgrade window this upcoming year.
Management chose to give the majority of the AirTran fleet to their biggest domestic competitor and keep all the pilots. Such is life. The pilots were left with a crappy situation to handle...merge pilot groups without the airplanes. I think they handled it the best they could.

You are right, the person in my family that got displaced and held back for upgrade (without having to commute) for years is NOW very happy with SWA. Probably one of the reasons I still get fired up about this, is the reaction of other (younger) pilots when I talk about knowing an exAT pilot, and invariably their reaction is: “ohh, nice pay bump”. No, it wasn’t, displacement led to a move the family had to deal with, upgrade delayed by years, and hostile initial was not a great experience. Probably better to let the spilled milk join the water under the bridge.....
Still recognize the EX-AT when I JS, not nearly as crisp and starched as L-SWA ;)

Bingo. You get it. The “You’re not worthy of being at SWA” attitude gets old....fast. That said, save your breathe as they’ll never get it and just pray that you’re never on the receiving end of a SWA merger/acquisition.

Hope it never happens. I’m totally fine with not worthy of swa. I wouldn’t go there if they begged me. I’ll keep my 3 year upgrade. And being 25% of seniority in 5 more years. And they can all stay FOs for 12 years. Win win!!