We had a thread about "The General" also.

 

Now listen everybody, take a deep breath. All this angst is being wasted on a non-issue. ALPA has publicly stated that no change to the mandatory retirement age of 65 is even being entertained, much less seriously discussed or promoted.

Even if it was, the individual pilots on this property would have little influence on the outcome. Certainly not the final say. In any event, those who choose to exercise a privilege guaranteed them under the law have every right to do so.

Regardless, this age thing is moot. We need to be careful not to let this hypothetical situation blow up into a rift between the younger and older members of our pilot group. Especially not now. We are in contract negotiations, people! The company will exploit every slight chink in our unity to their own advantage. Let's stop this ridiculous speculation about some highly unlikely scenario that might happen at some unknown time in the future and concentrate on backing our negotiating committee while they strive to get us the contract we deserve.

Don't let this brouhaha be a distraction the company can use against us.

Now put on your big boy (or girl) pants and get back to work!

 

Facing shortage of pilots, Japan plans to raise age limit to 67
The transport ministry plans to raise the age limit for airline pilots from 64 to 67 to address a shortage following increasing demand for flights and the growth of low-cost carriers, government sources said Tuesday.

The Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry is expected to lift the age limit from late April, the sources said. The age limit was raised to 64 from 62 in 2004.

Under the new rules, airlines will have to provide stricter health checkups to ensure that pilots aged 65 and over are in good shape, they said.

The ministry plans to limit these pilots’ maximum flying hours to 80 percent of the usual amount — or 80 hours per month and 216 hours over a three-month period. It also intends to put pilots aged below 60 on board the same flights, the sources said. Source: The Japan Times

 

No way that guy would get near a cockpit of a airplane you mean the old nothing to do but hang around FedEx doctor, general, mil leave NAZI. I would have never had to opportunity to fly with someone who never flew. This is what i meant;

Idioms 12. in general,

1. with respect to the whole class referred to; as a whole: He likes people in general.

 

How can this be true?

When Japan had raised theirs to 64 back in 2004 and it was 62 prior to that!

Seems like this "basic unfairness" had been going on even before 2004 and no one seemed to have a problem with it then!

 

What's even funnier is that out of one side of their mouths they tell the junior to "suck it up, sonny boy. life ain't fair." and the other side is asking why we don't see the basic "unfairness" of those dang furrin' pilots flying in our airspace.

 

So you think its OK for Congress to maintain a law that prohibits U.S. pilots from flying in U.S. airspace while allowing foreign pilots to do so? And your "logic" allows you to compare that to a U.S. law that applies across the board to all U.S. pilots?

Everyone and I mean EVERYONE was effected by the change to Age 65. F/Os got furloughed. Captains got frozen in position. Some people faced an additional 5 years on reserve.

That doesn't mean you or anyone else has the right to tell another pilot when he must retire, regardless of what the rule was when he started. By your "logic" unless you started your first airline job before the rule changed YOU should be required to retire at Age 60 as well.

There has been a whole lot of "I'm planning on quitting at 60" spewed here, but NONE of us knows the decision he/she will make until the cake with the 60 candles comes out. Will you really give up that last 5 years of earning potential? How's your health? Your spouse's health? You still have kids in college?

Everyone's life is different. Your upgrade "expectations" are just as invalid as your "logic." Expect your upgrade when the bid listing comes out, not a day sooner. Heck, you may not even make it to that day.

 

I think it's ok for Congress to make an agreement with a regulatory body in another first-world country and then leave the details up to them.

Do you think the Japanese or European pilots think it's "fair" that our crackerjack prize version of the ATP is valid in their airspace when their ATP was much more difficult and expensive to obtain?

If you want US airlines to fly to Japan, that's part of the deal. There is very likely nothing in the "law" saying anything about fairness to old guys - just economic fairness.

Pipe

 

And many of us don't. What are the statistics, 40% of us die or medical out before retirement? If that is even close to accurate, that is really depressing. I don't even know why the company is proposing an A fund change. It's not like they have to pay it for very long.

 

Very true. I've seen numerous guys medical out pre-60. Most were from bad backs/shoulders from slinging 50 lb. chart bags into/out of the cockpit. A couple died in GA/military accidents. 4 or 5 coronaries. A handful of cancers. Various other reasons.

For the most part, A funds are gone. Those (that I know of) are going quickly because most new hires don't have the pension option. They're strictly 401k self-funded retirements. Hope you all have GOOD investment advisers.

So much for "expectations."