View Poll Results: How do you (reallyfeel about the current PWA?
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 98. You may not vote on this poll
DAL/NWA 3: The PWA REQUIRED in 2012
#122
#123
The doctors and hospitals and lawyers and insurance companies and drug companies, etc, etc, are totally out of control.
#124
We're an airline - we can't raise our prices to compensate for increases in our material costs, like every other business out there.
#125
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,619
That is quite a magic trick for three years worth of flying. At Delta, we had some pilots that had already maxed out their income to the IRS limits ($205,000) including me, and so each year of my service was worth the maximum allowed. However, a junior pilot had not had the opportunity to max out their income, so their years of service were worth less than mine. Why should their retirement permanently be harmed because they hadn't hit their magic 3 years yet?
This change was not a matter of political expediency, this was a matter of fairness. You had some 1989 hires that were on Captain's pay leading up to the DB termination and 1991 hires that were on F/O pay. That is a pretty big gap on retirement funding for a short 2 years difference in service. I guess the MEC could have just said, "it sucks to be you" but instead they opted for a method that to me seems more fair, even though it reduced my potential note payout.
So you are correct that changes were made from straight calculations, but you are incorrect that they were made to be politically advantageous. Mostly, each pilot gets to look at the world from their own narrow viewpoint, but the MEC doesn't have that luxury.
#126
I know you know this, but you have to rationalize the business you are in prior to having that ability. In ours there is always one airline that has slightly less overhead, and takes advantage of it. Capitalism.
#127
The reason we pay so much for Doctors etc is simple. Health Care Companies provide a ton of Medicare and Medicaide coverage. Their repayment is no where near that of the cost. Ergo someone needs to pay for it. That is you and your health care plan.
#128
True, but any Joe Bag O'Doughnuts can cut costs (overhead). It takes real creativity to find new revenue and better revenue streams. I think the current DAL management falls into this group (so far). When they don't, it certainly makes for crappy contracts.
#129
Our guys are putting the right airplane on the right market. That can cause issues for non-reving, but I prefer that to the alternatives. The end game is that with the right aircraft we need to start charging the correct price and more importantly, STOP dumping seats 12 hrs prior to departure. The passengers know we do this and are waiting to buy. (You should hear them talk about how they wait to get these 100 dollar coast to coast tickets)
#130
ACL mentioned that someone will have lower overhead and get more business - to a point. Remember Bethune saying "you can make a pizza so cheap no one wants it"? What is interesting is that the airlines that are doing well - really well - invest in their product and pay their employees well. Singapore, Cathay in the international market, and Southwest domestically. You don't see Southwest cutting much (although you can argue they don't have much to cut). But SWA doesn't go to the employees and say "well, we lost money the last two quarters - and our pay is at the top of the pack for pilots. You all need to take a pay cut, so we can be profitable." Nope - the management does what >good< management does - they go increase revenue. They don't make profits off the backs of their employees.
I think the DAL management is on the right track - the graph someone posted a bit ago gave me a lot of confidence in the future for the economy.
Now if the company makes money in the next year or two, hopefully we can point to what we, as pilots, have done to contribute to the success. And get our fair share of that success.
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