ALPA's opposition to Age 60

[General Lee]

B757 and 46driver,

You knew the rules prior to coming to this game. If your contracts need fixing, then do it. Otherwise, don't ruin it for everyone else. Life isn't fair sometimes, and crappy contracts don't mean you can say, "Time out everybody, new rules....." We all know that age has nothing to do with flying an airplane. I am sure a guy age 60 and 1 day can fly a 757 just fine. But, changing the rules to suit your needs at your airline while affecting many many others at larger airlines is wrong. I would easily support any change in SS with respect to age--at 60 etc, but not changing the age 60 retirement rule, nope. So, maybe someday it will be voted in, but until then I will fight it the best way I can---donations to democrats.

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[46Driver]

"We all know age that has nothing to do with flying an airplane" Thanks for the quote - I believe you can ring that up as age discrimination.

As for the second part about rules: How did the Age 60 rule come into effect? We all know that answer. Changing the rules? Sure, I'd be happy to go back to the way it was: pilots had to be white males with a military background and stewardesses had to be single and meet a weight limit. If the Constitution itself can be amended and some of those same amendments later repealed, I hardly think a FAA regulation is cast in stone.

Third involves demographics: in the industry as a whole and within your own company. For the former: I am curious to know the number of pilots at the majors who have a good retirement vs the ever growing number of career pilots at regionals as well as those who have seen their retirements severely curtailed (i.e., US Air, United) For the latter, I don't know the Delta pension system but how can it cope over the long term with its retired pilots living longer (than they did say 40 years ago) as well as the downsizing of mainline. I will ask - is the money for your pension contributed by you - or is the pension of those retired paid for by those currently flying?

Personally, I don't see this changing for a while. The bubbas who hit the multi-million dollar jackpot (and the ones unfortunate enough to be furloughed and waiting for the seniority lists to move) are not going to change. Those who never made it to the money - or who think the whole industry is sliding never to return - are going to fight even harder to compensate by working longer. Finally, we all know ALPA will never take a vote on this because of money. Might as well drink a cold one and move on to the next topic...