Originally Posted by
Boeing Aviator
Just one example of an area in the contract that is sorely in need of huge improvement.
Current Delta LTD - 50% No Cap - 32% B plan contributions
Current Spirit LTD - 15K Cap
Jetblue AIP LTD - 12.5K Cap (might not be exact but close)
SWA LTD - Around 12.5K Cap
United LTD 8K Cap - $500 a month more then CAL negotiated 20 years ago.
We have leverage. Management is in a box. Tremendous pressure from Wall Street, BOD, Stockholders to make good on there growth plan being successful and most importantly to close the gap between DAL & AA and us and they don’t have a lot of time to make it happen or they are history.
Right now UAL has less 70/76 seaters then DAL & AA. UAL is approx 150 & 230 less mainline narrow bodies then DAL & AA respectively. The most profitable part of Legacy flying today is domestic.
The company needs more 70/76 seaters to compete with DAL & AA and the only way they are getting them is if mainline UAL pilots are flying them. Plus that’s a good proactive step towards the massive impending pilot shortage at the Legacies in 3 to 5 years down the road.
Better be improvements in several areas beyond LTD too.
We have leverage and we have management in a box. My two cents 50/50 chance of TA in next year.
I’m all for higher LTD even if it means higher premiums, but I believe the plans such as Deltas and the like, while they pay higher monthly, that is TAXABLE income where as ours is Non Taxable, not saying it shouldn’t be higher but at 30-40 % fed and state tax, they aren’t as far apart as they seem. I looked into our LTD LUMP sum option, but it doesn’t strike me as a great deal either.