Fantastic post and a very good comparison Vito. He wasn't my top choice but it is what it is - we'll be fine.
This current Armageddon-inspired hysteria is ridiculous. The political pendulum swings the way it does because it's designed to do just that.

Amazon cozying up to DHL might be a much bigger problem for us than who's in the White House.

Just in case anybody cares...the average age of newhires YTD is 42.

I see Amazon as good and bad. Bad you can figure out. Good: It will force UPS to morph, grow, compete and focus on service. You might even see a new business model were we start selling stuff or team up with people like Walmart, Target etc. I'd expect to see us team up with some large chain for a kiosk/section in a every store where you and go and pick up your package like Fedex is going to do with Walgreens. I can see change being faster then we have ever seen. I would not expect UPS to sit by and be overrun. The days of a duopoly are over. However, they are well aware of what is to come and are already talking about it. A example is this qts earning report conf call. The top men at UPS are going to have to be innovative. I think this will cause a evolution/revolution in the management ranks of who is successful/promising in the management ranks. I can tell you one thing. 10 years from now UPS will be far different. On the other side of the street at the Pax carriers they are confronting NAI, ME3, ULCC (dom and internation), outsourcing still to bigger RJ. I'm just not sure who is gonna get their a$$ kicked more. Many changes and unknowns.

Competition usually makes you stronger. Let's hope UPS is not blowing the Amazon threat off, because I can see them blowing UPS off a few years down the road.

One aspect of Amazon's business model that in our (UPS) favor is that most of Amazon's business is the type that UPS took a hit for this past quarter...Door to door small items, instead of large b2b transactions that are easier and more profitable

Didn't Abney say B2B is down due to the rapid shift to online retail and that's what will require a rapid response from UPS?

I appreciate that info. Do you know anything more about average times, experience, qualifications, etc?

Trying to gauge what's considered competitive at the moment.

What's ME3?

Anyone ever do the math for a 30 yr 60+ captains retirement without a flat dollar amount? I'm curious that someone said the flat dollar going away would force retirements.

I don't get too upset over training center comments about retirements. Most of the people there don't have them anymore and the ones with them are trying to scare the others from asking for more. How many times have we heard these middle level supervisors, or whatever the hell they are, comment that the IPA is running this place out of business?

In 5 years at guarantee, you'll have earned 500 more hours than at United. 757 in 3 years at United can be done, but you'd better like being junior. Was there profit sharing ever 15%? I thought it was 13 last year and under 22 this. If you're going sheer dollars, hope you don't get sick and after about 2 years, maybe 3, youll collect another 71 hours of pay each year

^^^
-This!