Originally Posted by Mesabah

Mike, what I'm trying to tell you is airplane size has nothing to do with anything. You have come to believe a common misconception in the industry. Delta loses money on some 777 flights, and makes bank on some regional flights. The most profitable plane overall is the 757, the airline is looking to shed the massive behemoths like the 747, because they are losers compared to smaller planes like the 777/787 etc.

Your pension at mainline used to be based on your last three years with the company. It was absolutely essential to focus the big bucks to the top of the seniority list, to maximize lifetime earnings. Since the pension is gone, the time value of money is what matters. This means that you need to save as much as possible, as early as possible, because pay rates at the end, no longer help.

Bigger pays more because of the pension, has nothing to do with anything else, nothing! Total scope recapture, with longevity based pay, is what fixes this industry, anyone who claims different is being self serving.