The Delta pension terminated for many reasons. What no one wants to mention is the effect the 2001 contract had on the pension plan. Income for pilots soared and more of that income counted toward FAE. Prior to the 01 contract very few pilots retired with a benefit more then 150,000 per year. After the 01 contract pilots were able to push earnings to levels never seen before. It was a combination of higher pay rates and a level of Greenslips never seen before in the top end Captains seats. There was one year where over 60 pilots exceeded 500,000 in income. FAE soared beyond anything the plan was funded for in the past. In a sense our retirement plan was a victim of our own success in the 01 contract.

ATL is fairly unique as most of the 500~ that live around here commute out of ATL. I have seen at least two of my NWA brethren on the employee bus every time I am going to work. All have stated that they will bid whatever get them here on the first bid!

My advice to junior folks like myself is to let it go, and do what you are willing to do. I am personally willing to commute and or move to MSP or DTW so I will be bidding accordingly.

No, not a bad thing at all except the NB guys are getting the brunt of it while guys like myself are sitting at home going non-current.

Hey you wanna be roommates, I borrowed my Mom's Price Club card and bought a 12-inch HDTV with some Nintendo 64 games, an entire case of Ramen Noodles, some Vienna Sausages, and six gallon-sized bottles of Orange Tang.

Two rules though:
1.) Stay away from my Red Dog Beer.
2.) A sock on the doorknob means Do Not Disturb because I'm concentrating on my PBS bids for next month.


You in or out ACL?

That is tempting.......:eek:

In reality the wife has given me approval for a 777B bid ;)

It really is not bad up there. I actually like it, but I will qualify that with the fact that I am from Wisconsin, and I like the cold, a lot. Ann Arbor is an awesome place and there is always, um something to do.......

DTW will offer the most opportunities for the guys below 50% of the seniority list, and should be willing to improve their QOL if they cannot afford to sit on 88 or 9 reserve in ATL.

As far as being junior, do you think NYC will still be a junior base?

Basically I'm thinking it will be neck and neck between DTW and NYC as far as being junior. I think alot of it will have to do with where they put what equipment. Then again, I'm just assuming here and you know what they say about assuming.

I am thinking NYC will be senior and junior, real junior. Guys that can drive or commute to good lines will, those that cannot will be put where crap reserve is.

We're getting pretty deep in the legal woods. Beyond my "sea lawyer" knowledge. Sounds like we could establish another DB after the 5 years has passed. But realistically, I don't think you'd find many Delta pilots willing to go there after what happened to the DPRP.
Its hard for me to believe the PBGC has forfeited all their rights to restrict "follow-on" retirement plans at Delta, but maybe they did. I wasn't aware of that clause in the settlement that Slowplay posted.

A large bump in the DC money seems like a better alternative, but even that depends on some big assumptions about future marginal tax rates. The Nancy Pelosi types in this world might take us to some pretty high tax rates down the line. Maybe even "means testing" of 401k withdrawals, that sort of thing.

bring it!!! beats the crap out of more cuts!!!!

That my friend is the understatment of the year. :D

It is pretty interesting that that clause is in there. It raises some interesting questions as well.

1. Did DAL negotiate the clause because United and US Airways have it, too?

2. Did they negotiate the clause because DALPA forced them to do it?

3. Did they negotiate the clause because they saw the possibility of wanting a future DB plan back at DAL?

Seriously, if they really hated funding the DB concept and it provided no benefits for them, then I wonder why they went out of their way to put that clause in there?

I mean, without that clause, if we did come back in 10 years demanding a DB plan like AMR, they could have just pointed to ERISA and the PBGC and that would have been the end to that. One "Sorry, dudes. It's illegal," and that would have been the end to that.

At the very least, it allows me to continue to pick at ts. His dislike for anyone that likes the Gators has intensified as the season has progressed. :)




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