LAXLUVR,

No apologies needed, and THANK YOU for your service to our country!

The biggest advantage of a VF over a COLA is the one that Cadet Driver pointed out: Flexibility. On a VF one has the ability to stay out doing something else for up to 10 years if things are going well enough on the outside all while moving up the seniority list as pilots are retiring. The VF can be very attractive for commuters with other employment options closer to home, or dual income families with young kids at home. When they return, these pilots can enjoy the benefits of improved QOL and assignment options. The VF also allows one to return to UAL much sooner if things are going better here than the outside assuming the company is offering recalls.

There is always a risk that things don’t turn around as quickly and recalls are delayed. A VF pilot can only return during a recall. In that case the COLA is safer as it gives a specific return date to UAL that does not depend on whether the company is recalling or not. The COLA works very well for a known length of absence.

The VF also has some other income advantages. One is the pilot will qualify for furlough pay, and this can be as high as 4.5 months of pay. Another is eligibility for unemployment benefits; a VF is treated as a furlough, and the pilot can file for unemployment benefits from his or her state unemployment office. Medical coverage advantages could be included with a VF as well, as the UAL pilots have a furlough fund that will help cover COBRA if the pilot does not have other health insurance.

As far as the ESRL/SRL, they are only temporary measures that are determined month by month basis. They are not designed for the long term, only for the short term. These will very likely go away once the company starts furloughs as the company tries to match pilot supply and demand.

Hope that helps, there are probably some other considerations as well, but those are the ones that come to mind…

SP