Who's really helping who here? The way I heard it, Comair for one was quite a profitable entity unto itself until acquired by Delta. Now, it is a major revenue source (along with the other regionals) for Delta. If it had been left to its own devices, Comair would have no problem buying its own RJ's. Come to think of it, Comair wouldn't likely be throwing 10 SEATS out of a brand new 50 seat aircraft, if it wasn't saddled with Delta either.
The only good thing is that they only need 16 full seats to make a profit on those things. Thanks to the fine scope clause, they make 10 seats LESS profit on every flight of their new CRJ's, which is of course that much LESS profit which can be funneled into keeping Delta afloat--which is precisely where their profit is going.
Yes I'll admit that Comair's F/O's are all either on food stamps or clearing tables at Denny's to make ends meet, and I do think they deserve a lot more than they have. That said though, the Barbie jets and their drivers are the only profit source going right now for Delta. If somebody doesn't pull in their horns soon (I will lump both unions and management in here)and concentrate on a way to EXPAND the profit source while keeping it profitable, Delta will go down and nobody will win.