and also a higher percentage of older pilots who will be retiring sooner. Delta's aircraft arrivals and our attrition and aircraft orders may even the playing field in respect to advancement expectations.
Here is where DAL guys disagree. You talk about your retirement numbers as if it is pretty much assured that your guys will retire at 60. I agree that under your
current compensation and retirement structure that that is the case. But if we were to merge with something close to what we originally agreed upon, I think that almost all the NWA captains would stay. Why?
- BIG pay raises.
- Significant equity payout
AND
- 14% B fund contributions (which would be based on the much higher pay rates).
Take your typical "Green book" captain stuck on the A320 who now sees the possibility of a 777 captain seat, coupled with said pay increases and significant B fund contributions, and staying to 65 seems like an easy decision. So now we (DAL) see the possibility of the NWA claim of "attrition" being used to justify a more DAL-unfriendly SLI not even coming true anyway.
Of course absent a crystal ball it is very difficult to really make an accurate prediction. But I will bet that if we had one, and if we were to merge with the contractual improvements noted, that you would see most NWA guys stay to 65. I think
I would if I were one of them.