With near record high oil prices and facing a struggling economy, the airline industry's viability is in serious jeopardy for the second time since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Many financial analysts and others insist the time for long-anticipated airline consolidation has finally arrived. On April 14, the boards of Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines announced their intent to merge the two carriers under the Delta brand. For the first time in the history of airline mergers, the Delta pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, have been involved from the earliest formative stages of the proposed merger. This merger will create a strong, investable airline with a sustainable long-term future. That is good for labor and good for the shareholders and other stakeholders of the merged corporation. Most importantly, it is good for our passengers and the communities we serve.

History has often been a harsh judge of mergers. The financial synergies have generally been less than hoped for, with those that were achieved often coming at the expense of employees, customers and the communities served. That said, the position of the Delta pilots toward consolidation has never wavered. We are not opposed to a rational and sensible merger. We have always held that the "right" merger opportunity could draw our support. However, we have never been interested in a transaction just for transaction's sake.

That is why, just over a year ago, the Delta pilots played a key role in successfully opposing the US Airways hostile takeover attempt of Delta Air Lines. Had that takeover attempt succeeded, it would have cost thousands of jobs, created monopolization in key business markets, and eliminated customer choice, all in the name of a short-term financial gain for a few.

Recent mergers in our industry have demonstrated that the traditional labor integration process is seriously flawed, if not completely broken. Traditional merger scenarios treat employees not as stakeholders, but as another cost to be synergized. That is a recipe for disaster.

With that in mind, the Delta pilots union made the unprecedented decision to shatter the conventional labor merger mold and provide our pilot members and our company with an alternative to the traditional process.

Over the past several months, we have worked proactively, deliberatively and cooperatively to attempt to solve the most contentious issues in advance of any merger announcement. While we have thus far been unable to reach agreement on some key issues with our Northwest counterparts, the Delta pilots union has reached an agreement with Delta management that provides modifications to our pilot contract in order to facilitate a successful and efficient merger. In return, we will receive meaningful protections and returns for the value we, as stakeholders, bring to the process. Soon this agreement will go to our pilot membership for a vote.

Our early and proactive participation brings value to the financial transaction, but most importantly, as proposed, the merger between Delta and Northwest is the "right" merger. Unlike many past mergers in our industry, the proposed Delta-Northwest merger is a merger with little overlap and without the need for employee furloughs, hub closures or elimination of destinations. Instead, the combination sets the stage to create a stronger, sustainable and growing airline that will vigorously and successfully compete in the domestic and international marketplaces for years to come.

And that is a merger we can support.

> Lee Moak, a Delta captain, is chairman of the Delta Master Executive Council of the Air Line Pilots Association.