I don't know the answer to that question but look at past practice - When there was an exodus of 777 Pilots the company screamed they needed relief and DALPA granted it, in the form of PeRPs. This may have been the least crappy option, and the right thing to do at the time........But DALPA appears not to have learned anything.

DALPA should be going on record now, today, yesterday, in print telling the company about the coming flood of retirements and proposing some mitigation strategies. And most importantly DALPA should make it 100% clear that there will be no relief granted in this regard period.

There is no mystery, this is all predictable and can and should be planned for. DAL can start the hiring earlier and get the cream of the crop or can be late to the game and get FDX, SWA, UCAL, JBLU UPS etc. leftovers and rejects.

Another thing - Every guy who retires from the top at 12th year pay with 5 weeks of vacation enables a first year pay new hire with minimal vacation and probably less sick leave medical issues. It is not a direct replacement because the 12th year maxed out guy will most likely be replaced by another 12th year maxed out guy but this will eventually require more new hires and may help mitigate any costs of a planned and structured retirement program.

IF DALPA and DAL really had their **** together they would come up with a planned retirement program - sweetening the retirement for say 200 guys a year enabling 200 new hires a year allowing us to ease into the hiring phase smoothly. It may not be cost neutral but at least it would show some strategic planning and thinking.

Or DAL can wait until we are going to be short and paint ourselves into a corner where our options are give relief (SCOPE/PEPRS/CODESHARE/JVs) or certain doom and parking aircraft etc. We have seen this show before.

Scoop