This has to due with the Roberts award not wealth.

Tarmac rules get flights dropped By Alan Levin, USA TODAY in part...

The fines for lengthy tarmac delays — defined as three hours or more — go into effect April 29. Airlines such as JetBlue Airways have already made the decision that it is better to aggressively drop flights from their schedules when bad weather strikes.

JetBlue changed its own policy about stranded planes after nine of its jets were stuck on the tarmac for at least six hours in a snow and ice storm at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on Valentine's Day in 2007.

In 2005 and 2006, the carrier canceled an average of 254 flights a year, according to federal Bureau of Transportation Statistics data. After the Valentine's Day strandings, when the airline set a rule that no flight could be delayed on the ground more than four hours, the figure jumped to 1,223 a year.

JetBlue canceled 387 flights during Wednesday's snowstorms. JetBlue Chief Operating Officer Rob Maruster said those cancellations were done in part so the airline could live up to its own policy about tarmac strandings.

There are a lot more extra expenses to an airline trying to deal with the effects of a snowstorm and it's recovery than the de-ice. And I am not saying it was execs at JB. But for example, they were averaging 254 cancellations per year in '05 yet canx 387 last Weds alone. Three years ago they were getting hammered in the press for:
"JetBlue ... after nine of its jets were stuck on the tarmac for at least six hours in a snow and ice storm at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on Valentine's Day in 2007"

If you made the decision that your airline was NOT going to let that situation repeat itself, wouldn't you want the other airlines to be canx. too? Kind of like fare hikes. You can't risk being the only one and you need the others to follow. If the other airlines won't follow willingly than you work behind the scenes until government regulations force everyone to do it.

Seems logical enough.

Whoa!

Government and logical should never be used in the same sentence.

It is a great idea until politics and self preservation of the politicians is thrown in to the mix.

Might go against DAL's internet policy! :D

No: his argument about airlines lobbying so that other airlines are equally [I'll delete it myself] is what makes sense. That's all. Some airlines are lobbying for other airline's stuff, so why wouldn't they also lobby for other airlines to join them in the proverbial s----house?

I get the stance. My point was that politicians will do what gets them reelected. If that means that big money is pushing on them, that is where they will see the light. If it is big unions that get them elected that is where they will see the light.

I agree that airlines will do what is best for them. That makes sense, and more so if they can pressure politicians in to thinking their way.

flyer,

I am going to disagree with you here. Simple math what was your seniority number when the sli was first posted? What is it now? In my case it has moved up roughly 170 numbers as of February. I believe most of the PERPs actually leave the list in March through May. I would be willing to bet that by the end of the summer the number of pull and plug pilots will be met by fNWA retirements.

In fact just talked to a 55 year old capt that is going to pull the plug in the next 6 months because he the difference in income is not worth working. We just need a few more guys that think like that.

It's all good. I do not even keep track of my system number. Who cares, it is where you sit on what you want to hold.

I did the math for the guys with pensions and could not imagine staying for a few thousand bucks a month. I much prefer to enjoy retirement.

Guys,

Here's my take on the over 60 guys. For some it's about the $$$. Some are soooo paranoid that their pensions will just disappear they'll probably work for the extra $1000 a month until they die.

But for most I don't think it's about the $$$. I think it's because they have NO life!!! They have no wife to come home to(or one they can't stand being around), and the thought of waking up the next day and not being 'CA Airline Superstar' scares them to death. They just can't accept that it's ok to retire. It's ok to not have to fly for a living. It's ok for your biggest task of the day to be deciding which pair of slippers you should wear.

It's not that they need the $$$, it's that they need the title, the status, the direction. JMO.