Yeah ... and I'm not necessarily 'disagreeing' with anyone, but mergers and seniority list integration happens, nevertheless. The result is seldom 'pretty'.
The airline companies and their EMT's don't care about the 'shit-storms' than would ensue for the pilots and other employee groups -- perhaps they SHOULD, they just don't. It's not about the employees ... it's about the shareholders, the Board, the EMT .... it's about $$$ and their place in the 'CEO Club'. We've discussed this before.
That is precisely why there are so many airline merger horror stories for us to reference and guesstimate that 'it won't happen, because look what happened with airline X and airline Y... '
But they HAPPENED -- and more will happen -- even though they didn't necessarily make sense and won't always 'make sense' in the future (read: $$$$ and QOL) from a pilot-employee standpoint when seniority lists are merged.
PanAm ... TWA ... Air Cal ... PSA .... National ... TX International ... Southern ... Republic ... Hughes AW ... Allegheny ... Piedmont ... Frontier ... Braniff ... Air Florida ... People Express ... NY Air ... Eastern ... Western ... Jet America ... Wein ... there's more, lots more.
Delta & Northwest (Orient) Airlines ... talk to the 'senior guys' @ NWA and see what they think about the 'seniority integration' they received. Talk to any of the former NWA seniority list pilots about the backhand they've received (and are still receiving) from the current DAL MEC. It's led to resignations from what was suppose to be a couple of ALPA groups skipping happily along the lane, stopping occasionally to sniff the flowers. It's not a 'good marriage' of two ALPA seniority lists, unless you consider a shotgun marriage a 'good marriage'.
The horror shows for all too many pilots will continue when it comes to 'merging lists', industry 'consolidation', bankruptcies, or simply finding a new flying job if (when?) your current one gets shot out from under you.