NWA/DAL what's the sentiment?

[Diesel-9]

I live in Texas. Family is healthy. Have a couple friends who have had cancer surgury and would have cost them $1000's on the plan we may go to in 2010 although I think our plan will also be an option then for all. Looking at the numbers, I would have to save $500 a month for my 10 years to go to 60 so I wouldn't have to pay the retired pilot health care premium cost out of retirement pay cash flow over my life expectancy. This deal makes the military retirement healthcare even more valuable. P.S. Equity chunk? What amount is projected? $5000-$10000?

 

[General Lee]

I live in Texas. Family is healthy. Have a couple friends who have had cancer surgury and would have cost them $1000's on the plan we may go to in 2010 although I think our plan will also be an option then for all. Looking at the numbers, I would have to save $500 a month for my 10 years to go to 60 so I wouldn't have to pay the retired pilot health care premium cost out of retirement pay cash flow over my life expectancy. This deal makes the military retirement healthcare even more valuable. P.S. Equity chunk? What amount is projected? $5000-$10000?

I thought the equity chunk was a lot more than that... When we left BK and came out with new stock, I got over $200,000. It may not be that much, and it would be pre-tax and some of it would go to fill your 401k limit, but I would think you would get something in cash too. I know certain things pop up in life, but I have never had a problem with our Gold HRA, and I don't think there are large deductibles etc, and emergency room visits are not that expensive. Not too bad, but it would be nicer if it was all free....


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[NuGuy]

Heyas,

Yea, I'm a wavering "yes". It won't take much more to push me into a no.

Reasons:

No time and a half over 80

Lower caps

Poor phase in of the DC plan. Middle seniority people get slammed.

Inability to bid green slip flying sooner than the day before, and even then the system VASTLY favors non-commuters.

VASTLY increased health care costs

JS rules/booking stink

Geriatric PBS software for bidding.

Add all of it up, and the parity/raise gets eaten up pretty quick.

Nu

 

[Superpilot92]

I thought the equity chunk was a lot more than that... When we left BK and came out with new stock, I got over $200,000. It may not be that much, and it would be pre-tax and some of it would go to fill your 401k limit, but I would think you would get something in cash too. I know certain things pop up in life, but I have never had a problem with our Gold HRA, and I don't think there are large deductibles etc, and emergency room visits are not that expensive. Not too bad, but it would be nicer if it was all free....


Bye Bye--General Lee

Werent they tossing numbers around at being less than 20k for the equity payout this go around?

 

[General Lee]

Heyas,

Yea, I'm a wavering "yes". It won't take much more to push me into a no.

Reasons:

No time and a half over 80

Lower caps

Poor phase in of the DC plan. Middle seniority people get slammed.

Inability to bid green slip flying sooner than the day before, and even then the system VASTLY favors non-commuters.

VASTLY increased health care costs

JS rules/booking stink

Geriatric PBS software for bidding.

Add all of it up, and the parity/raise gets eaten up pretty quick.

Nu

Most of what you say is true. But, the greenslipping happens when something pops up and scheduling can't cover it with reserves. Of course people nearby would be able to cover it sooner. You can put in for greenslips and give limitations, like I need 4 hours notice, and if you are senior and they have more than 4 hours before the flight, you could get called. The jumpseat rules aren't bad at DL, you still can get the jumpseat over the phone 4 days prior, and you can get excused for a trip if you can't get there and give yourself at least one back up. Flight attendant jumpseats are usable too if no stew is there. Your DC phase in is because most of you still have some sort of frozen pension. And, the PBS software is not bad, actually it is fairly easy.


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[hockeypilot44]

Do probationary pilots get to vote?

 

[General Lee]

Werent they tossing numbers around at being less than 20k for the equity payout this go around?

I guess it depends on how much we are "worth" when we merge. If we get 3.?% and you get 2.4% (?), and the combined company is worth $1 billion, then yes, we won't get much.

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[General Lee]

Do probationary pilots get to vote?

I don't think so.

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[NuGuy]

Most of what you say is true. But, the greenslipping happens when something pops up and scheduling can't cover it with reserves. Of course people nearby would be able to cover it sooner. You can put in for greenslips and give limitations, like I need 4 hours notice, and if you are senior and they have more than 4 hours before the flight, you could get called. The jumpseat rules aren't bad at DL, you still can get the jumpseat over the phone 4 days prior, and you can get excused for a trip if you can't get there and give yourself at least one back up. Flight attendant jumpseats are usable too if no stew is there. Your DC phase in is because most of you still have some sort of frozen pension. And, the PBS software is not bad, actually it is fairly easy.

JS:
10.5 days ahead >>> than what DL has, PLUS we can book it on the internet, and have it done with 3rd party software unattended.

Call-in-honest policy is better as well.

MUCH better

Health Insurance
Half the premiums for a superior product with lower deductibles and higher caps

MUCH better

Premium pay for all over 80

MUCH better

Our PBS software (Carmen) is 4 generations past what CLASSbid is. We were using that back in 1998 when NWA was writing the book on PBS, with over 98% bid satisfaction.

Only a fraction of the NWA pilot group has anything close to a full frozen pension. The numbers add up, but it takes another chunk out of "parity".

Even if we were to sell our SLI as the DAL guys seem to want us to do "for parity", I don't see ANYTHING in this agreement worth giving up an inch on the SLI for.

After crunching the numbers, it is, at best, a push with a slight raise in 09. 20k equity at best for senior guys.

Nu

 

[Lucky Strike]

Werent they tossing numbers around at being less than 20k for the equity payout this go around?

Yes...about 20k