Originally Posted by
JamesBond
What difference does it make when? You can quit at any time.
True, but the retirement age has a huge impact on seniority at a given age. For example, if the mandatory retirement age had remained 60, I would have retired in the mid triple digits at 60. With the bump to 65, retiring at 60 puts me in the 2,000 range and short of holding the seat I'd like. Not a big deal, but it would have been nice to be in the left seat of our highest paying equipment for a few years before retirement.
If it gets bumped up to 67 I could be as low as 3,000 when turning 60. As it stands, I'm contemplating a semi-retired lifestyle where I drop half or more of my schedule, just for the fun of being a 777A or equivalent for the last few years. It all depends on what QOL items we have in the contract.
Everyone's situation is different. For some an increased age is a huge QOL hit, because of the stagnation.