Airline pilots lobby to fly past age 60

[satpak77]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060926/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/old_pilots

Time is running out for some pilots: Englehardt, a Lake Bluff, Ill., resident who has flown 37 years for United Airlines, ferrying hundreds of passengers at a time to such destinations as Honolulu and London, turns 60 on Jan. 29.

Also, because United Airlines terminated its pilots' pension plan in 2004, Englehardt won't get $142,000 in annual retirement income as he thought he would. Instead, he said, the government's Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. will pay him $29,600 a year in retirement benefits.

uke:

 

[BVT94]

On Tuesday, about 30 pilots launched a two-day lobbying blitz to let Congress know that they feel perfectly capable of staying on in the cockpit until they're 65.


I wouldn't call 30 pilots a blitz.

 

[PunchTheClown]

I just read the same thing. For as long as I've been in the 121 world I've wanted the retirement age to stay at 60 for the obvious reason that it would mean my career advancement would happen sooner. However the time I've spent here has taught me that with the way the industry is now we as pilots need do to whatever we can to make suitable retirement as we've been raped by upper management.

I've changed my tune, those of you who are approaching retirement were counting on penions, stock options, etc and now thats gone. I can't imagine how scary it must be to have lost that nest egg. I hope to god that the age 60 turns to the age 65 so that those of you who have invested so much can try to recoup at least some of what is rightfully yours.

Punch

 

[IHateDaley]

That article, by the way, features one of our distinguished Flightinfo members.

 

[Black Hawk]

For as long as I've been in the 121 world I've wanted the retirement age to stay at 60 for the obvious reason that it would mean my career advancement would happen sooner.

Adding 5 full years of productive work at the top of the pay scale to a career can be a pretty good thing to recoup some of the losses that have taken place over the past few years. A lot of pilot's have had enough by 60 something anyway and want to do something else with the rest of their lives. I suspect we'll see some pilots sticking around for a few more years but not a whole lot that plan to fly all the way to 65.

 

[Falconjet]

Hey, why not make it 95. I mean how many of us will make it that long?

FJ

 

[PunchTheClown]

Good point Black, I guess to many its just as unappealing as it is appealing. Maybe it would be some concelation just to have the option.

 

[accinelli]

Whats the big deal about flying past 60? If a man is healthy and alert at 95 -- let him fly.

 

[Hootie9750]

He flew 37 years for United. Wow life really did screw him, I feel so bad. I mean, that must mean that he was hired when he was 23? God bless his unfairly tortured soul.

 

[Yuppyguppy]

I'll do everything I can to stop these grandpa's from flying in the left or right seat 121. HEY GUYS HANG IT UP I'M TIRED OF YOUR BITCHING YOU SHOULD'VE SAVED UP WHEN TIMES WERE GOOD.

 

[BVT94]

He flew 37 years for United. Wow life really did screw him, I feel so bad. I mean, that must mean that he was hired when he was 23? God bless his unfairly tortured soul.

Not to mention living in the slums of Lake Bluff.

 

[satpak77]

wonder if the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp payments will make it to the next edition of Kit Darby's (another UAL pilot) "If you are hired at age 32 your career earnings will be XXX million dollars" book.

(Back cover)

The time is now! Pilot shortage!
Addresses of Chief Pilots and HR department inside!

 

[vetrider]

Does anyone know what the "lame duck" session of Congress in November means?

 

[K-Mart]

That article, by the way, features one of our distinguished Flightinfo members.

Who is it?

 

[tomgoodman]

Quack!

Does anyone know what the "lame duck" session of Congress in November means?

A short session between the elections and the convening of the next regular session. Some of the members will have been defeated at the polls, but still have a few days remaining in office.

 

[IHateDaley]

Who is it?

Hugh Jorgan...
Just kidding, I'm not going to say.

 

[Dizel8]

Does anyone know what the "lame duck" session of Congress in November means?

Strikes me that they are pretty much lame ducks 99% of the time!

 

[climb2slow]

reponse from my senator....

Thank you for contacting me regarding age restrictions and retirement benefits for commercial airline pilots. I appreciate hearing from you and would like to take this opportunity to respond.

The Age 65 Act (S. 65), which was introduced by Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) on January 24, 2005, seeks to amend federal aviation law to increase the mandatory retirement age for commercial airline pilots from 60 to 65. This measure would in effect tie the commercial pilot retirement age to the social security retirement age, prohibiting the Federal Aviation Administration from requiring commercial pilots to retire before they are eligible for Social Security benefits.

S. 65 was referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, where it was amended to allow pilots over 60 to fly if accompanied by a co-pilot who is 59 or younger. The committee approved this amendment pending its adoption by the International Civil Aviation Organization, which is set to meet on this issue in November 2006. S. 65 now awaits a vote before the full Senate.

A similar measure (H.R. 65) was also introduced in the House of Representatives by Representative Jim Gibbons (R-NV) on January 4, 2005, and was referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

S. 65 would protect workers’ rights both by rescinding an outdated, discriminatory regulation, and allowing thousands of pilots to continue to pay into their pensions and into Social Security. This particular economic advantage cannot be overlooked, especially considering the current fragile state of a number of airline pension programs.

The Senate’s major pension reform bill, the Pension Security and Transparency Act of 2005 (S. 1783), was passed with my support on November 16, 2005, by a vote of 97 to 2. During Senate floor debate of S. 1783, Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI) offered the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation Pilots Equitable Treatment Act (S. 685) as an amendment (S.Amdt. 2583) to this bill. Both S. 685 and its related amendment would require the PBGC to offer airline pilots, who are required by the FAA to retire at age 60, the maximum pension benefits allowed on terminated pension plans. S.Amdt. 2583 was adopted into S. 1783 by a vote of 58 to 41. Differences between the House- and Senate-passed pension reform legislation must now be reconciled through a conference committee before further action can be taken.

Again, thank you for sharing your views with me. If you have any further questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me. In addition, for more information about issues and activities important to Florida, please sign up for my weekly newsletter at http://martinez.senate.gov.

Sincerely,

Mel Martinez
United States Senator

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

Strikes me that they are pretty much lame ducks 99% of the time!

considering your relative voice is non existant in DC, I see what you mean....

 

[Andy]

Does anyone know what the "lame duck" session of Congress in November means?

Yes ..