Don't think that in any merger that DL controls that they will be nice to the employees and give them their seniority. When DL and NW were lookinf at CAL in the mid 90s, the reason that CAL went with NW was because DL was ready to staple everyone to the bottom of their list. DL is not the "fair" company that they make themselves out to be...think about the thousands on furlough and they are hiring FAs for langauge positions.
Guess we're getting off topic now but don't you think that it would be dumb not to hire FAs that can actually speak to the customers? Sometimes it just doesn't make sense to fill in spots with unqualified people just b/c they are on a list.