ERLANGER — Comair finally made contact with its striking pilots Monday, but it wasn't about setting a date to negotiate.

        The call was to notify the union that the Erlanger-based airline was cutting 200 pilot positions and getting rid of 17 planes, including all nine of Comair's turboprops.

        What Comair's action signifies for the possibility of the two sides returning to the bargaining table — much less the airline's long-term operations or its ability to avoid layoffs — remains to be seen.

        But analysts don't expect much positive news on any front soon.

        “Before, this was just a regional skirmish, but now, this is world war,” said Darryl Jenkins, director of the Aviation Institute at The George Washington Univer sity. “This is like dropping an atom bomb on the whole process.”

        Before Monday's move, neither side had talked since March 25 — the day before the airline's 1,350 pilots walked out over work rules, retirement benefits, job protection and pay.

        Comair said Monday it was reducing its fleet from 119 planes to 102, ridding itself of all nine of its Embraer Brasilia 120 turboprops and another eight 50-seat Canadair Regional Jets. The turboprops were scheduled to be eliminated by the end of the year, along with the 100 pilot jobs that came with them. The other 100 eliminated jobs were new or recently created positions that cannot be kept because of the difficulty retraining

        pilots if and when the strike ends.

        The airline also said it was indefinitely deferring delivery of 12 more jets, including two 70-seaters, which would have been the first of that size at Comair.

        Comair spokeswoman Meghan Glynn said the company remains ready to talk, and said officials extended another invitation to the table when the call about the cuts was made to the union.

        Paul Lackie, spokesman for Comair's branch of the Air Line Pilots Association, said the pilots also remain ready to talk, but said Comair's invitation didn't include a time or a place.

        Ms. Glynn said that the cuts were non-negotiable if and when talks restart, while Mr. Lackie wouldn't comment on whether the union would seek the jobs in a new contract.

        But Mr. Jenkins said that when a strike gets this far, everything is up for negotiation and that the eliminated jobs could give the company more leverage.

        He added, however, that the cuts might so polarize the situation that a third party needs to bring the two sides to the table. He suggested Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta as a good candidate.

        “Without that, this thing could go months before any movement is seen,” Mr. Jenkins said.

        Comair said it would reduce its future flight schedule and may consider reducing its overall workforce.

        Experts say those flight cuts will probably initially come in smaller Florida cities, where Comair is a major presence but some flights are less profitable.

        “Whenever you reduce smallest aircraft, it's always the smallest communities and the lowest-traveled flights that get cut,” said David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association, an advocacy group for passengers.

        Ms. Glynn would not rule out future cuts either to the pilot group or layoffs for other employees if the strike continues.

        The company has committed to keeping all of its non-pilot employees on the payroll with full benefits. That totals about 4,000, including 2,600 non-pilot employees based at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.

        “That's when it could get really ugly,” Mr. Jenkins said. “Right now, cutting pilot jobs is leverage at the table, but when other people start losing jobs is when the pressure really starts.”

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