Declining Glories: The Airline Career

[Rez O. Lewshun]

Declining Glories: The Airline Career

http://www.aero-news.net/#Remember when you were a kid and an airplane flew overhead?
Remember how you looked upon pilots as they walked through airports resplendent in their black or blue uniforms was silver and gold braid?
Remember how you admired those who made a living out of flying huge aluminum tubes through the ether, bringing families to their loved ones, businessmen to their clients, and people to grand new adventures?
And, of course, as you grew older it did not escape you that airline pilots made good money, as did their brothers and sisters in the maintenance and service fields.
Boy... didn't you grow up wanting an airline job?
Folks, those days are gone -- and gone for good. The glory days of the airline world, and more specifically the airline career, is a nearly comical but no less tragic ghost of former greatness. Greed, financial mismanagement, poor regulatory oversight, and a nearly psychotic competitive zeal have ruined the airline industry. Worse than that, intense and (in many cases) positive working relationships that existed between the people who did the work, and the people who call the shots, has been all but destroyed.
Robber barons disguised as airline managers have broken the faith between their workers and the promises they made over decades by managing their companies poorly, and raiding promised pension and medical plans. Jobs that once carried great esteem have been changed into nearly unbearable chores that are worth far less to the worker than they were but a few years ago.
Yes, the airline industry suffered horribly as a result of 911, but the fact of the matter is that analysts can point to the seeds of this industry's destruction long before September of 2001, and despite all the tragedies that occurred that fateful day, there are still a few companies that have not only survived but thrived because they did not give in to the greed and stupidity espoused by their competitors. We realize these are incredibly strong words, but we cannot find anyone who can truly defend the overall conduct of the airline industry, and more important, the way in which they have cheated their staffers.
http://www.aero-news.net/#The stripping of pay, pensions and benefits from thousands of workers who desperately need those wages and programs (and who had no alternatives in place -- or warnings of any kind that they might need one) seems to us to be a criminal act --especially when so many of the ills and behaviors that created this mess are still in place.
Unfortunately, Congress, who has padded their pockets for years with airline lobby dollars, has given them a pass on these transgressions-- and to all those young men and women who might still dream of a career flying or supporting the airliners of the future, we strongly recommend you look at another industry, as this one is busted.

 

[VABB]

And yet people still flock to aviation universities and fork over tons of money in pursuit of the "dream".

 

[StaySeated]

Prior to 911

The industry started a huge slide during the spring and summer of 2001. I was participating in negotiations for one of ALPA's smallest carriers when the company that owned us started planning furloughs in August 2001. I remember on September 12th 2001, CAL's Gordon Bethune was on tv explaining how this was going to impact the industry and I thought to myself, "this just got a lot easier for management".

 

[The_Russian]

And yet people still flock to aviation universities and fork over tons of money in pursuit of the "dream".

So, why don't tell us all about your coming of age. That might help us clarify how you weren't "chasing the dream" at all. And, tell us where you are now so you can make it clear how much better than "the new kids" you are.

Please, stop blaming this on pilots. Direct your ill anger towards management to help solve this problem.

 

[The_Russian]

The stripping of pay, pensions and benefits from thousands of workers who desperately need those wages and programs (and who had no alternatives in place -- or warnings of any kind that they might need one) seems to us to be a criminal act --especially when so many of the ills and behaviors that created this mess are still in place.

How true.

 

[luckytohaveajob]

And changing age 60 will keep the airlines smiling all the way to the bank. Retirement benefits will never be restored. Management will argue the pilot can continue to work. Bridge medical will end because the pilot can continue to work.

Already furloughed pilots will be delayed another five years losing another five years of longevity on top of the three to five years they already have lost. The newest pilot being hired today will be furloughed, remember the legacies hire to furlough. And management will have a talented pool of pilots at one or two year pay rates lined up waiting to return.

And what will be the cause of managements victories? A greedy minority of selfish pilots who have not only thrown anyone they could under the bus the last five years but who are trying desperately to do it again claiming their superior experience is the be all end all.

The problems of this industry can be fixed. Keep age 60. Retire the whores in the next five years while the companies rebuild their balance sheets and profitability and then as a unified group with a purpose retake what was lost.

Age 60 is the final straw.

 

[capt. megadeth]

And changing age 60 will keep the airlines smiling all the way to the bank. Retirement benefits will never be restored. Management will argue the pilot can continue to work. Bridge medical will end because the pilot can continue to work.

Amen bro, amen! I am not completely against getting rid of the age 60 rule but what concerns me is the way management will manipulate it and you know they will. IMO, we should have be looking at ways to end the legalized robbery of pensions and MAKING management be held accountable instead of begging to work longer so we can make more money for these thieves.

 

[XJTAv8r]

And changing age 60 will keep the airlines smiling all the way to the bank. Retirement benefits will never be restored. Management will argue the pilot can continue to work. Bridge medical will end because the pilot can continue to work.

Already furloughed pilots will be delayed another five years losing another five years of longevity on top of the three to five years they already have lost. The newest pilot being hired today will be furloughed, remember the legacies hire to furlough. And management will have a talented pool of pilots at one or two year pay rates lined up waiting to return.

And what will be the cause of managements victories? A greedy minority of selfish pilots who have not only thrown anyone they could under the bus the last five years but who are trying desperately to do it again claiming their superior experience is the be all end all.

The problems of this industry can be fixed. Keep age 60. Retire the whores in the next five years while the companies rebuild their balance sheets and profitability and then as a unified group with a purpose retake what was lost.

Age 60 is the final straw.

Did you see my earlier post from the Atlanta newspaper? Perhaps someone needs to write that journalist and let him know the other side of the story.

Airline captains renew effort to up retirement age

60 is the number pilots hate

By DAVE HIRSCHMAN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 01/02/07

Harry Ballance flies passenger jets in and out of Atlanta's busy airspace every week — just as he did during 35 years as a Delta Air Lines pilot.

But instead of flying an airliner, Ballance is the captain of a much smaller but equally fast and complex corporate jet.

The change was dictated by an FAA rule — now under scrutiny — that imposed mandatory retirements at age 60. Ballance says experience gives older pilots an edge, and he says they should be allowed to continue their airline careers as long as they meet stringent physical and performance standards.

"I don't have the reflexes of a 25-year-old," said Ballance, 67, of Vinings, who also owns and flies vintage airplanes from the 1930s. "But my experience more than makes up for any loss of hand-eye coordination. Experience counts for a lot more in this business than reaction time."

U.S. airline captains have been forced to give up their coveted left seats at 60 since 1959, when the FAA imposed an ironclad age limit. The rule has been challenged many times in nearly five decades, but no attempt to alter it has ever succeeded.

That may be about to change.

The international body that governs commercial aviation raised the pilot retirement age to 65 in November, and most of the world quickly followed. Only Colombia, France, Pakistan and the United States declined.

U.S. pilots and airlines have long regarded the age 60 rule as a sacred cow — and both sides gained from it.

Pilots fought for, and won, better pensions and benefits than other airline employees largely based on the rationale that forced retirements at 60 cut into their peak earning years. Younger fliers welcomed the rule because it allowed them to move up seniority lists faster, gaining higher pay and better schedules sooner.

Airlines found things to like about the rule, too, because it allowed them to replace their most senior, highest-paid workers with less costly junior pilots.
But a combination of radical post-9/11 drops in pilot pay and pensions, higher health care costs and a looming pilot shortage have brought together the interests of many senior pilots and airline managers.

Pilots want to extend their top earning years. And those who fly for carriers that have dumped pensions on the federal Pension Benefit Guarantee Corp. are severely penalized for retiring at 60 instead of 65, even though FAA rules force them to do so. The PBGC pays up to $45,000 a year to employees who retire at 65, but that number falls to $28,000 a year for age 60 retirees.
Also, retired pilots face mounting medical insurance bills from the time they retire until they are eligible for Medicare. Raising the retirement age to 65 would bridge that gap.

U.S. pilots also complain they're now faced with blatantly unfair situations such as foreign airline captains being allowed to fly within the United States until age 65. Same-aged U.S. pilots within those borders are grounded.

Age limit has remained sacrosanct

U.S. airline pilots have received FAA permission to continue flying after head injuries, heart surgeries, drug and alcohol dependencies, and losses of limbs — but the FAA's age limit has remained sacrosanct.

"I undergo a thorough medical examination every six months and a check ride in the airplane — just like I did at the airline," said Ballance, who has learned to fly three types of corporate jets since leaving Delta in 1999. "I'm as safe a pilot today as I've ever been."

Ballance said hard-won experience keeps him from succumbing to pressure from corporate clients to rush or skimp on safety-related expenses.

"Anytime you get in a hurry, you're fixing to screw up," he said. "I go by the checklists, I take my time, and if there's frost on the wings or tail, I make sure the plane gets de-iced. Safety comes first, regardless of cost."

U.S. pilots have long regarded the age 60 rule as a dirty trick instigated by American Airlines founder C.R. Smith. Their oft-repeated story is that Smith wanted to get rid of a troublesome contingent of senior pilot union leaders. He approached his friend, Elwood R. "Pete" Quesada, the first FAA administrator, and Quesada pushed through the hated rule. Less than two years later, in 1961, Quesada was rewarded with a seat on American's board of directors.

"The rule has nothing to do with safety," Ballance said. "It never did."

The FAA and the National Institutes for Health have conducted numerous studies of the age 60 rule as it relates to airline safety over the years, but none has been conclusive. Legal challenges also have never altered the status quo.

A 2006 FAA panel deadlocked on changing the age 60 rule.

Airline pilots continue to curse Quesada 48 years after his controversial decision. John Deakin, a retired airline pilot and aviation columnist, wrote an especially pointed essay when he turned 60, saying he hoped Quesada, who died in 1993 at age 89, "has an especially hot place reserved for him, because he made an unfair, arbitrary and illogical rule that has now clipped the wings of thousands of fine young 60-year-olds."

'Some age must be selected'

The Air Line Pilots Association, the nation's largest and most powerful pilots union, challenged the age 60 rule at first but now endorses it.

"Some age must be selected at which mandatory retirement is indicated," ALPA President Duane Woerth told Congress. "Others would choose a different age, however, age 60 ... has served us well since 1959."

Ballance recently flew to Brazil to pick up a new $25 million Embraer Legacy jet. He said he enjoys learning the intricate workings of each new type of airplane and intends to keep flying as long as he believes he can meet his own demanding standards.

"I do this because I've got a passion for it," he said. "It's what I've always wanted to do, I've been lucky enough to get to do it for a long time — and I still enjoy it.

"As long as I can consistently do it better than the young guys, I intend to stick with it. And right now, I feel like I'm consistently better than they are."

http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/delta/stories/2007/01/01/bizpilots0102a_3DOT.html

 

[luckytohaveajob]

Dear XJTAv8r,

If David Hirschman did take a quote from me or anyone else, he would undoubtedly misquote the contributor and play it against the status quo. Unfortunately, the status quo does not sell. The sensationalism of the Baby Boomers being wronged even though they are doing the wrong thing is what sells.

What will help is telling your ALPA representative that age 60 needs to stand. You must be extremely clear that age 60 needs to stay as it is. The rep. being a politician will confuse the issue and say but what if....blah blah blah. Pilots what if everything which has it benefit preparing to fly an airplane. In real life it creates the wiggle room for the politician to get the issue passed. Those wanting age 60 to change overnight to age 65 are not willing to wiggle. They want a windfall.

I am suprised an XJT pilot is concerned about this issue and glad you have spoken up. I have spoken to many regional pilots who do not understand the significance and importance of age 60. I realize it is difficult for a young person to worry about something so far off but in reality is will effect XJT pilots the day it happens.

Please talk to your rep. I will talk to mine. And call your Congressman and Senator. Build a telephone, email, and letter relationship with your elected officials.

I want to see REZ start advocating the majority on this issue. He talks all day long about a lack of pilot unity and participation. Age 60 is a polarizing issue that is going to galvanize ALPA. SWA has a vote on age 60 this month. We might finally see where SWA pilot majority stands.

 

[pilotyip]

This is still a great career, to be paid in the upper 5% of US income earners to do something you like. Most people will never expereince that.
Now if you do not like flying this is a terrible job.