Originally Posted by
XHooker
All true, but is it really an issue? I'm sure there are some doing it, but I don't know any, nor have I even heard of any scamming LTD. What I find ironic is that employees are held and hold ourselves to a different standard than senior management. When management invents a way to increase their compensation above what was previously agreed through... say... basing retirement on a multiple of, rather than actual years served, or... say... extending the time allowed to meet a performance incentive, it's perfectly legal. Like you said, scamming LTD is illegal, unethical and hurts the pilot group at large, but I believe it's so rare as to be insignificant and every pilot I've known who used LTD was doing everything possible to get their certificate back. Meanwhile, because they have the influence to change the rules midgame, deals adding millions in compensation at the top are legal. Forgive me if, while I disapprove I'm less than outraged about the possibility of someone scamming LTD.
I tend to agree, your points concerning management always lining their pockets are valid. It is probably never going to be a widespread problem, there is always going to be pilots scamming. Let's hope that the few scammers that cheat the system don't cause this benefit to be too costly and we go back to the company determining who qualifies for LTD.