FDX-over 65 S/Os
An interesting question was asked the other day. The Co. shows 6 active 727s by May 2013. I'm not sure how many over 65 S/Os there are but there has to be 3 dozen or so (just a guess) and more going in the training letter. So how in the heck does the company manage the drawdown? If they only need 25 or 30, do they tell all the S/Os over that number to retire or take an unpaid leave of absence? What if later, some guy who would be in the top 5 decides he wants to take a 727 S/O slot, does he bump someone off the back? Or, do they just carry any and all till they retire the 727 all at once. FedEx has always provided the pilots reaching the mandatory retirement age an opportunity to go to the panel. I'm not sure they will tell someone "no" when there is a S/O junior to him on the seniority list occupying a slot. But then again, $$$ seems to trump everything these days. Just curious, no dog in the fight. If it's mentioned in the contract, I couldn't find it.