By Jesse Russell

A strike at Northwest airlines enters its third day today. Northwest has asked workers represented by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association to give up $176 million in cost savings. Meanwhile, the airline spent more than $100 million training 1300 replacement workers to cover in the possibility of a strike. The airline has proposed laying off half of the workers and cutting the salaries of the remaining workers by 25 percent. It is a situation that echoes throughout the friendly skies, but the Mechanics are the first to follow through with a threatened strike. However some analysts aren't sure the workers can weather a long-term strike as the union has a small strike chest and few back ups were seen during the first two days of the strike. Northwest is flirting with bankruptcy much like competitors US Airways and United Airlines who used it as a means to cut costs and defaulting on pension obligations by turning them over to the federal government and taxpayers.