West Pilots Beat East in US Airways Case

Burkett said the ruling sought to equalize career prospects for pilots from both sides, in the sense that the anticipated pre-merger wait times for upgrades from first officer to captain were generally maintained. He also said that given the reluctance to relocate to new crew bases, most pilots in Charlotte, N.C., Philadelphia and Phoenix would see minimal change in their status.

Now, Burkett says, "Some of us ALPA people are going to step forward and try to heal the wounds. We are not going to see west pilots shoving the east pilots' faces in it, by any means."

The continued contentiousness associated with the US Airways pilots seniority integration was frequently cited as the key factor in a push by Delta(DAL Quote) and its pilot leaders to have seniority integration largely resolved before a merger with Northwest was completed in October.