Alaska News?

[tico]

Nothing is being added...just shuffling the deck...the MD-80/ETOPS training bubble that caused all the downgrade/furloughs to begin with is taking its own sweet time to exit the system. When it does there will finally be movement, not growth but movement....about 2014 is the estimate

 

[AK737FO]

I agree with you tico - but I think that the real reason for this mess is age 65. Who would have thought that 90% of our "Gummers" would stay? It's a giant 5 year pause button on all of us. Come 2014 they will start to retire (or die) and we will see a huge wave of movement, even with no growth.
I just learned that a "Gummer" has to have a line check every 6 months. That is 4 times the cost / burden on our training department. Why is our management not lobbying the Govt to reduce this training cost?
I think that the company made out like a bandit with this law change. They get to pocket 5 years of pension money from every guy / gal who is dumb enough to fly till they die. That could easily be a half million dollars savings per pilot. Bill and Brad LOVE that!

 

[Fubijaakr]

Just make sure YOU retire at Age 60. After all that WAS the retirement age in effect when YOU started.

You don't want some young guy accusing you of being a hypocrite.

 

[clippyrip]

Just make sure YOU retire at Age 60. After all that WAS the retirement age in effect when YOU started.

You don't want some young guy accusing you of being a hypocrite.

You are missing two small details. We didn't get to enjoy moving up the ladder our entire career because of age 60 and then change the rule when it was our turn to go. Even worse, we got a 5 year pause.

 

[AK737FO]

Don't worry Fubi - If all goes well, I would like to be gone by 57 or 58, but I will be here no later than 60 (and two months) when I hit 30 years with company.
As soon as the retirment says I can punch, I'll punch. If that's 5 years from now, I'm gone. If it's 15 years from now, so be it. What is won't be is anything beyond age 60 (and two months) - so I will milk the system and hold down some poor FO for two months so I can selfishly get a 30 year ALPA pin.
There is just to much hunting to do to keep doing this job 15 days a month!
Clippyrip is right. My generation never got the quick upgrade and the bonus 5 years thrown in at the end. One of my favorite (now retired - early - I might add) Captains went from new hire plumber to FO to Capt at Alaska airlines in less than 1 year. He was still on probation and was a Captain. Now FO's need to look at the top of scale FO wage, cuz that is where they are going to be for a while before they get a Captain seat. Interesting to note that the Top of scale wage ($121) in April 2012 is the same hourly wage that I was earning as an FO in April 2005 - just prior to Kastration. Seven years later, still an FO, still earning the same wage. Funny, I don't remember gas costing $4.25 a gallon in 2005. I don't remember my property taxes being so high in 2005.
The job is still fun. It ain't what it use to be though - and I will gladly step over the side as soon as I can.

 

[RNP.15]

Don't worry we'll have bigger problems on our hands when they announce "THE" merger. All this talk of staying independent has got me worried.

 

[tico]

AK the fun flew west with the "hen". Now we are saddled with a turd that is too heavy to operate safely in the arctic and the mind-numbing 800 that is too small, under powered cramped pos for everything else..I cant see making a day past 55..I think that we have allready downsized our expectations substantially(something fubi's crowd have never done)...makes it easy to leave early when you know you are getting a whole lot less

 

[Boxboy]

The 60+ guys can't retire soon enough. How high and mighty they sound when they stand on that soap box. Many of them weren't even FOs for very long and some have never sat reserve. Get a life and move on, please!

 

[RNP.15]

They won't. They are on the fly tell ya die program!

 

[Boxboy]

After everyone is ETOPS trained, the next item on training's agenda will be defibrillator training for all FOs.

 

[rod farva]

They're not going anywhere. Any captain who says, "I'm just waiting until I can collect SS benefits" is full of bovine excrement and is gonna fly and pick up extra trips until the last second before turning 65.

 

[Mamma]

After everyone is ETOPS trained, the next item on training's agenda will be defibrillator training for all FOs.

Defibrillator training!?! That would potentially slow down upgrades!

 

[Fubijaakr]

Believe it or not, there are some guys here who could fly to 65 and still not make 30 years. Most of them were military for 10 years plus. So while they were serving their country for less than RJ wages, you are a major airline f/o biatching about how unfair life is for you.

Sure I envy those guys who made Captain in 18 months too. But, unlike you, I don't begrudge them their good timing fortune. And if they want to work until they're 65, that's their decision, not yours OR mine.

 

[jonjuan]

Believe it or not, there are some guys here who could fly to 65 and still not make 30 years. Most of them were military for 10 years plus. So while they were serving their country for less than RJ wages, you are a major airline f/o biatching about how unfair life is for you.

Sure I envy those guys who made Captain in 18 months too. But, unlike you, I don't begrudge them their good timing fortune. And if they want to work until they're 65, that's their decision, not yours OR mine.

Until age 70, that is....

 

[Fubijaakr]

Until age 70, that is....

Well, in theory, ANY mandated retirement age is discriminatory. Not that I'm an advocate, per se. Just sayin'...