2014-2016 hires have had a relatively charmed career thus far due to timing, and 2017+ hires began their careers under Contract 2016 during a period of airline and pilot group growth that hadn’t been experienced for two decades and will continue for at least the next two years. Once that growth stops, the mandatory retirement wave will begin in earnest and run for over a decade.

That is a FAR cry from the experiences of 88-90 hires, or the 97 Teamsters strike, or Age 65/Great Recession/parking three-man aircraft/mass displacements/furlough.

The company is profitable, tempo has gotten busier due to COVID, we overwhelmingly ratified a contract extension this past winter and there’s plenty of hay to be made in these times...as we all have friends staring down a furlough at the Big Three.

We’re pilots, complaining is what we do and we all wish there was even more hiring and training capacity and more Ochos and better catering/hotels and fewer denied trip trades and more reserve coverage and fewer reschedules and _______....but keeping perspective is important.