The statements above with regard to to Republic's acquisition of S5 are misleading and inaccurate. How about some accurate information from someone who was there??
S5 was purchased as a certificate home for 170s. Their 80 pilots were integrated (NOT stapled) in to the RAH seniority list. The integration was negotiated at length and finally arbitrated. The arbitrator ruled that the 80 Saab drivers were to be slotted in to our seniority list on a ratioed basis starting at about the 70% level. FAR from a staple. This DID mean that none of the S5 guys could hold CA, but those who were CAs on the Saab were pay-protected at their Saab captain rates. A number of those folks are now in CRJ captain training.
NOBODY at RAH was furloughed at any time over this. There have been no furloughs of ANYBODY in the three years I've been at RAH ... on the contrary, over 900 people have been added to the list below me in that time, including the S5 Saab pilots ... half of them were added in a block about 50-75 numbers below me (the CAs), and the FOs were slotted in below that on a 6:1 or 7:1 (I can't remember which) ratio. All RAH pilots hired after the date of the S5 acquisition are junior to all of the "original" S5 guys.
For whomever asked, YES, Shuttle America, Chautauqua, and Republic are all on a single master seniority list. FOs are new hires, who are frozen in type, certificate, and status until upgrade. As seniority allows, a RAH FO can upgrade on any type (CRJ, ERJ, E170), any certificate, or in any domicile as vacancies permit.
