FDJ2 and GL
I think what most here are pointing out is that you got screwed and you don't seem to believe it. If your pension had not been dumped, you would be getting about 15k/mo plus any excess for as long as you lived past 60. Close to 200k/yr. That would cover your claim dollars in about 3 years. I would take it that both of you are in your mid 40s and if you are really good managing your assets, that claim money in your 401k will double in the next 15yr. It might triple if you are really lucky.
Your DB would have payed you that much in 3 short years. And then what.
Bottom line is, BK screwed us all. Wake up dudes. BK WAS NOT GOOD!!!!
The Delta Pilot Pension was soft frozen in 2004, outside of bankruptcy, so no active Delta pilot accrued any additional percentage of FAE from that point onward, it was hard frozen in 2006.
Very few DAL pilots still on the property when we hit bankruptcy had accrued a $150k/year pension. Over 2000 senior DAL pilots early retired between 2002-2005 and they all had the opportunity to cash out on 50% of of their pension on the first day of their retirement. That means that they were not receiving a $12k/mos pension, but rather half of that.
In order for a DAL pilot to receive his full pension of 60% FAE he would have to complete 25 years under the DPRP. There are only approximately 300 pilots at DAL who have completed 25 years under the DPRP. They received on average just over $600K in both their note allocation and claim allocation in addition to over $100K in their MPPP ( average 1992 $280K + $100K MPPP, average 1998 $200K + $45K MPPP, even a 2001 hire who may not have flown a revenue mile before furlough got approximately $150K from the note and claim). They now have a DC plan going forward plus their PC-3 payout from the PBGC, plus their share of the PBGC's $2.2B claim.
When the Delta Pilot Retirement Plan was terminated, the plan had enough assets to cover 81% of all PC-3 obligations.
The PBGC received a $2.2B claim and by law they must use a large part of that to pay off any additional pension obligations.
If the PBGC valuation of their claim is 45 cents on the dollar ( the pilot claim payed out over 60 cents) then there will be enough cash to fully fund all PC-3 obligations and enough cash in combination with the Money Purchase Pension Plan and $650M note distribution to cover 100% of all accrued qualified benefits.
Going forward, each DAL pilot has a 9% DC plan and a 2% 401k contribution (not match), in addition to what he has received from the note, the claim and his company paid Money Purchase Pension Plan.
BK is not fun, but quite frankly I'd rather have my pension in my own name then the promise of a pension from a company. Most Delta pilots who can see a return of 7.5%/year will actually do better with the note payout, MPPP money and their PBGC payout, then what what they had accrued under the DPRP at time of termination.