You have no clue what you are talking about. Their contract is better than ours????? Really. They saved their pension for their senior guys, and lost most of everything else. Their rules are attrocious, and their pay is substandard, but they kept a frozen pension. Their scope is a bit better, but they are hanging on to old planes that really doesn't help their company anyway. If they get rid of DC9s, then they have to park RJs. Well great, they get to keep the gas guzzling DC9s. That doesn't really help the problem of high gas. Where are the E190s that may be more fuel efficient and have FMS and autothrottles? Their management decided not to replace them, so they are stuck with DC9s. What about the 742s? Even UPS is ditching theirs thanks to the higher fuel costs. NWA can't because they are waiting on 787s, and they are nowhere to be seen. They just cancelled Guangzhou cargo service because they could not bring in enough revenue to justify it. Maybe converting 744s (like other airlines are doing--World, Kalitta, JAL Cargo etc), would help, but they are still waiting for those 787s......burning gas and profits along the way....
And guess what? This merger is very very likely going to happen. Not much we can do about it. Does NW really have more cash on hand? We have $4 billion, and they have $3 billion. Together, it has been stated, we would have $7 billion. (although it may cost $1 billion to get this consumated) After that happens, which planes do you think could (I said COULD) get parked? DL's or NWA's? Why? And do we really think we are BETTER than they are because of our pay? We are paid more, and an arbitrator would look at that. Who brings more to the table? That is a common question an arbitrator asks. We have more widebodies (their 744s may go to the cargo side after they eventually ditch the 742s), higher pay, better rules, better bases, and more pilots. Does that mean we are better? No. It means we are bigger and we are the ones moving this transaction. (our management) If you want to think we are "better" then go ahead. I never said that, we are though bringing more to the table.
Bye Bye--General Lee