That big guy's name is Neil Roghair. He is the lead negotiator for the APA. I also talked with him on Monday. He is crashpad mates in New York with one of my best friends (We worked 3 different flying jobs together and have known each other since Junior High School). Your portrayal of APA's postiion is not entirely correct. They are concerned about the seniority integration. Trust me....the APA would prefer not to use the Nicolau as the US Airways seniority list for this merger. The language in the MOU goes a long, long way in squashing the use of it. Who do you think helped come up with the language in the MOU as to that respect? I guess you'll just have to wait and see what gets used. You'd be amazed the amount of liability a group is willing to risk over seniority. But you already knew that. Remember, it would be a fresh new DFR case from scratch. According to the
9th and Judge Silver, USAPA is free to negotiate within a wide range of reasonableness. If USAPA gives APA what they want (widebody protections), USAPA will get what it wants.