Its not that minor of a hiccup. Everyone in the seniority list gets 2 years of pay at where they are now. For the WB A folks, it's a great deal. But the further you move down the seniority list the less advantageous it is. This isn't a fix to the actual problem, it's a bandaid. Lower the R-ATP age by one year down to 20 maybe and ATP to 22. There's never been a shortage of candidates for the job, it's always been a pay problem. The civilian route sucked for many because of how bad the regionals paid. Now they're backed up months in advanced. We're all just dealing with training bottlenecks

This conversation would be better served with some data points on at what age Delta pilots actually retire.

I doubt many retire 30-55, but if we're only talking about 20% (or less) making it to age 65 already, it changes the discussion.

Might as well just take it to 70. May save the industry and time in the long run.

If raising the retirement age from 65 to 67 is the only issue you face working in the airline industry for the next 20+ years, consider yourself extremely fortunate. Every pilot on this seniority list that has over 12 years has faced much worse.

Not relevant.

I dont want to work until 67. By making it 67, the older folks get 2 years of high wages. In order for me to get access to the same pot, I now have to stick it out another 2 years. There are of course nuances here and the unpredictable nature of our work but at face value 67 forces everyone else to slide right 2 more years for the same money they would have gotten if it stays at 65. Right wrong whatever, but 2 years of my life at 60+ is a big deal to me.

I guess one thing the 60+ guys overlook is that their extra two years are at the top of the chain. Everybody else’s is right where they are. Yeah we’d get 65-67 as well, but that’s what 63-65 should have been. It’s not all equal for everybody despite plenty saying “you’ll get your two years”.

Correct.
And what makes it even more disingenuous on the part of the old guys, is that they were nowhere to be found advocating for this issue until they sniffed a chance to make it happen at the highest seniority they'll ever hold.

They weren't willing to stagnate for two extra years at lower seniority "for the cause" like they expect the rest of us to do now.

This.

It's no different than extending the pay steps in the pay scale by two years where it takes 2 more years of longevity to hit top pay.

The reason this whole thing stinks is the hubris of it all. To say "I got mine, screw you, if you want the money I have, stick it out 2 more years" after they all benefited from those before them retiring on schedule. It's a pure money grab wrapped up in words like fairness and justice and discrimination.

But everyone can see it's all about them and the money and their crusade to get the pension money back at everyone else's expense. Someone on chitchat actually had the balls to say that. "$500K times 2 years is a million, about how much I lost".

And once again, this industry eats its young. This is the real reason there's a pilot shortage. Who in their right mind would front $100,000 in high interest loans to be a pilot so they can wait 30 years to make the big bucks, if someone doesn't come along and rip the rug out from under them or some other economic/social/political/health catastrophe doesn't get them first.

I HIGHLY doubt the only issue airline pilots will face in the next 20+ years is 65-67.

Good grief. How pathetic. If it goes to 67, you will stay as long as you can. And if you medical out you get two more years. It's a win for everybody no matter how you try to spin it as a negative.

If we weren't hiring like we are I would agree, but all this talk of stagnation is just stupid