CAL and NWA

[California]

What is driving the hiring at these two airlines?

Guesses on the effect of the age 65 deal for a new hire?

Thanks!!

 

[Daddy69]

Retirements and growth. Who knows what age 65 will do? Most guys I fly with say they are out at 60. We'll see. Good luck to you!

 

[cargoflyr69]

At NWA a good share of the "50 somethings" will be gone at or before age 60. This is because much of their pre-bankruptcy retirement money is still coming. Us younger guys will have to invest well between now and then if we want out at 60. Good news is that over half of the pilots at NWA are 50 or older. so there will be continued upward movement for a while.

 

[flygirlqt]

CAL Management announced a major cut back in new hire classes through next year.

 

[ip241au]

CAL Management announced a major cut back in new hire classes through next year.

What are they cutting back to?

 

[JPAustin]

I wonder if you will see companies negotiating an "artificial" retirement age with the unions by offering severence packages at age 60. I bet paying a severence would be cheaper than NOT hiring and training a replacement pilot in the seniority list and paying a very senior pilot to fly 5 more years. Any takers to this line of thought?

 

[Jetjockey]

There is a big assumption these pilots will want to stay to 65. Granted, many will stay (3 ex wives and kiddies to boot). A good number will not work 5 more years, to see a decrease in pension payouts. Work 5 more years for less money, it doesn't add up in many cases. Another assumption is these pilots can medically qualify 5 more years.

I can't imagine being 65 and getting that 3:30 am wake up on the east coast for the 0 dark 30 push. No thanks.

 

[JPAustin]

There is a big assumption these pilots will want to stay to 65. Granted, many will stay (3 ex wives and kiddies to boot). A good number will not work 5 more years, to see a decrease in pension payouts. Work 5 more years for less money, it doesn't add up in many cases. Another assumption is these pilots can medically qualify 5 more years.

I can't imagine being 65 and getting that 3:30 am wake up on the east coast for the 0 dark 30 push. No thanks.

Thats a good point. Why assume that everyone will want to fly until 65? Unless of course you make it fiscally distateful to do so. That is something the company would need to do, and that would be hard for the pilot group to swallow unless some incentives were given to retire early. But then again, why pay for some money-saving strategy if the pilots were going to leave at 60 anyway? Now the company has to pay more, when they could have got away scot-free. Ah, something for the brain-trust analysts in the back-rooms to figure out. Maybe Sabre could figure it out.

 

[whatitdoing?]

The only "major cutback" on pilot hiring at CAL is from 20 to 12 a month. We still need pilots because we're so short staffed.

 

[Ex737Driver]

What is driving the hiring at these two airlines?

Guesses on the effect of the age 65 deal for a new hire?

Thanks!!

For what??????

 

[ThisistheDream]

How many has CAL hired in the past 2 years? Is CAL slowing down from hiring a lot in the past years or is there still more growth requiring newhires?

 

[flygirlqt]

OK, these are the numbers for CAL:

Until mid May, hiring cut back from 176 pilots down to 128. 27%, I think it is substantial. The word major was coined to me by someone else and I said it in haste.

40 Jan 32 Feb 24 Mar 16 May

96 EWR 737 32 EWR 756

All bets are off now with age 65

 

[ATRCA]

What are they cutting back to?

Classes are going from 16 a week to 12. Not a "major" cutback but a cutback nonetheless.

 

[California]

Thank you very much everyone.

 

[Bigoober]

OK, these are the numbers for CAL:

Until mid May, hiring cut back from 176 pilots down to 128. 27%, I think it is substantial. The word major was coined to me by someone else and I said it in haste.

40 Jan 32 Feb 24 Mar 16 May

96 EWR 737 32 EWR 756

All bets are off now with age 65

Not trying to bash but just update some info.

Looking at 3 classes in March, 2 in April and a class or two in May from what I was told by CAL very recently. Christi has been told to be ready to fill in that fourth week of March. As with everything, it is all up in the air.

 

[flygirlqt]

Not trying to bash but just update some info.

Looking at 3 classes in March, 2 in April and a class or two in May from what I was told by CAL very recently. Christi has been told to be ready to fill in that fourth week of March. As with everything, it is all up in the air.

I don't mind because any update is good information.

 

[Ex737Driver]

OK, these are the numbers for CAL:

Until mid May, hiring cut back from 176 pilots down to 128. 27%, I think it is substantial. The word major was coined to me by someone else and I said it in haste.

40 Jan 32 Feb 24 Mar 16 May

96 EWR 737 32 EWR 756

All bets are off now with age 65

You just answered the age 65 question with your post. Why do you think the current bid, 09-01, is being posted in January instead of December? The early bid will give the company the chance to see who will leave at 60 and who won't. The reduction is, I assume, a guess at how many guys will now elect to stay instead of retire. The other reason for the early bid is if most pilots still elect to retire at or before 60, the company can run a supplemental bid to reflect increased hiring and still be on a "doable" timeline for 2008.

 

[flygirlqt]

You just answered the age 65 question with your post. Why do you think the current bid, 09-01, is being posted in January instead of December? The early bid will give the company the chance to see who will leave at 60 and who won't. The reduction is, I assume, a guess at how many guys will now elect to stay instead of retire. The other reason for the early bid is if most pilots still elect to retire at or before 60, the company can run a supplemental bid to reflect increased hiring and still be on a "doable" timeline for 2008.

Very plausible theory and mostly likely will play out just like you said here.