Originally Posted by
Tucknroll
We all know it VR was a bad deal, the only ones who took it are either jack of the politics or were going to leave anyway. Early retirement even more so.
It was such a bad deal they got pretty much exactly the numbers they were looking for. I doubt whether 190 pilots under the age of 63 were going to leave imminently.
All the 747s have gone, 6 A380s won’t fly again, a bunch of A330s reaching end of life and no orders for the foreseeable future (I’m fact 787s not being delivered) and what, 190 pilots gone with VR?
The numbers for VR and ER will account for more than the surplus 747 pilots if you do the math. The negotiations being conducted right now are about managing the numbers of pilots needed to fly less aircraft until some point in the future when the numbers are become right. It will probably mean lower divisors for a period, and the subsequent reduced pay, but that will be better than being made redundant. Even if divisors are reduced to half of the existing ones it’ll still be a more than liveable wage for most pilots.
CR is a better option than long term stand down for pilots. If you don’t want CR then do what the company want and take LWOP, a bunch already have. I’m a middle seniority S/O and I’d prefer to be paid out if they’re going to leave me hanging for years, at least then I’ve got money to stay afloat and do other things.
If you are CR’d then you are out of the group, out of the system. You do come back in seniority
when recruiting is needed again, but that may be a long, long time away. If that’s the case HR may decide to use existing pilots to their maximum extent rather than authorise the re-recruitment of those CR’d. Wouldn’t it be better to share the flying around with a lower divisor in the interim and remain in the group with a regular income? That’s my thought anyway, others may be different. I guess the option of VR was there if anyone wanted a payout now.