Age 66?

[wil]

If I have been planning my retirement accordingly this age change should not be too bad as I will be at the top of the scale. However, one of the facets of Airline work that I liked was the age 60 rule- oh well, not the first time I've been screwed!! Do retired pilots loose their seniority number at their respective Airline? Fly safe- And General Lee, watch out for Boss Hogg!!!

 

[pilotyip]

put age 60 in the union contract

Hey for you union airline guys make your union force retirement at age 60, let the Fed's establish a realistic age and then the union can set any age they want under it. And those of us who have no retriment until SS at age 66 can continue to work in the 121 bottom feeder industries hauling cargo. And we won't brother any of the junior people on the union senority list. promise. I am all for age 66 it could be the greatest birthday present for my 60th coming up in September 03.

 

[46Driver]

I'm gonna agree with pilotyip. Let the FAA set the age at 66 and then if DALPA wants to retire at age 60, then fine - Delta pilots retire at age 60. For the rest of us who aren't going to make it to a major, leave us alone and let us work a few extra years to get a decent retirement. Funny thing is that ALPA fought the age 60 rule for years.....

 

[mkingmei]

Everyone makes it sound like they can never touch another airplane and you license turns to dust after 60... go fly fractional, flight instruct, do whatever.
If the age 60 rule gets changed, then the retirement will change and we will be forced to work longer to receive a full pension so the option of getting out at 60 will have been taken away.
Keep it and give the rest of us the chance the older guys already had.

2 cents

 

[N2264J]

Isn't stagnation part of the industry?

One thing the age 60 rule currently does is CREATE MOVEMENT--which is something this industry desperately needs. If guys are allowed to stay on beyond that there will be STAGNATION for years.

You knew there would be periods of stagnation when you
joined the organization. (See how condescending that sounds?)

Seriously, aren't you implying that everyone, including those now on furlough, would stay to 66 if given the opportunity?

If that's what we're saying then it seems to me we have a huge representational problem with our union using our dues dollars to oppose the wishes of the majority of line pilots.

Those with or without defined benefit plans can still retire at 60 if they want to. Is that not correct? Changing the rule would give them and everyone else a choice.

I think the argument about keeping furloughees off line for an additional 5 or 6 years is a strawman.

 

[46Driver]

mkingmei,
The object is to build up enough for retirement. Honestly, you know it makes no sense to leave a company at the peak of your earning power and seniority to start over somewhere else at age 60.
What kind of pension does Southwest have? JetBlue? Air Tran? Almost all of the regionals? A 401k. The defined benefit plans are going away. Also when the rule was enacted (I believe it was 1958) what was the average life expectancy? What is it now in 2003? Substantially longer, therefore to be fair to your employer, if you are on a defined benefit plan, you probably should work longer. However, as said before, leave the decision to each individual union.

 

[Skull-One]

Right on. The FAA enacted the rule in March of 1960. Prior to that it was a "Company" thing.

 

[flx757]

What kind of pension does Southwest have? JetBlue? Air Tran? Almost all of the regionals? A 401k.

I can't speak for the rest, but AirTran, in addition to a 401(k), has a Defined Contribution Pension Plan, to which the company conributes 8% (10.5% effective 3/31/04) of each pilot's gross monthly earnings.

 

[Intruder One]

You know this gets brought up all the time............Its really a mute point...... it will pass.Maybe not this time or next but within a few years it will.In a country that is so policitial correct that you can't discriminate against anything or anyone especially senior citizens.Age discrimination for pilots wiil not surrive, if you don't like it move to Sweden.

 

[mkingmei]

I love how this gets brought up as age discrimination all of the time, give me a break. If it really were then we would have no age for drinking, buying cigarettes, voting, ATP, sex... you name it.
We all knew the rules when we got into this career, just like the folks that have retired before us.
We may all know people who are as sharp as ever at 70, but we also know others who can't drive straight down the road at 50. 60 is just a median based on common sense, just like the rest of the legal ages.
VOTE NO!