IBT 747 is interested in merging the seniority lists. What they want to do is get all 5 lists merged at once with every airline's input. Midwest wants to force the issue quickly.
If Midwest rushes through the process, they stand to gain a better outcome of integration if RAH appears uncooperative in the eyes of the arbitrator. What Midwest is losing, however, is the chance to use their leverage in an overall combination of lists. YX will not have a voice in the Frontier integration if they try to beat down the Teamsters now, and the truth is getting access to the F9 Airbuses is the only way YX pilots will get to keep the pay they are used to in the near future. But, if everyone at YX is happy being limited to the Embraer for the next 10 years, then by all means force the issue.
The Frontier/RAH deal is almost complete, but there are still a few steps to go until RAH will have actually acquired F9. Until then, IBT cannot complete any f9 integration. What the IBT wants is for YX to wait for another month so that substantial negotiations can take place, and so that all parties can talk with FULL knowledge of where RAH is going, what the fleet plan will be, what each separate seniority list looks like, etc. It seems more advantageous to barter a position on a total list, not just a partial one.
Personally, I think each integration should be handled separately, in the order of acquisition. That means Mokulele comes first. If those guys were to drag out arbitration, I hope everyone understands that it would not be possible for RAH to talk integration with YX until we knew exactly what the combines Mokulele/RAH list would look like. Either way, YX would have to wait. But, YX would be complete before Lynx and F9. Individual integrations could take years. A joint integration between all five airlines could be completed in a year or less.
