AA pilots saw what management scum did at most of U.S. majors by dancing into bancruptcy and dumping their pensions on the U.S. Govt. with the help of some clueless federal bancruptcy judge. The PBGC (federal entity that administers failed pensions) then recalculates retirements based on all manner of lookbacks and disclaimers, and then throws on additional penalties for not having retired at age 65. The maximum pension for an age 60 at United is $28,xxx per year (forever) and the maximum for age 65 is $44,xxx (forever). The $billions (with a B) that were in the pension fund disappear into the federal trough....nice trick, huh? Retiree medical under age 65 (medicare eligible) is $6,000 per year for a family of four, plus minimums, plus copays. It becomes readily apparent that once one's function as a provider of tax-revenue ends, one is expected to have the good manners to disappear. I am sure that many AA pilots realize that, like the rest of the U.S. airline industry, they are on the path to becoming the equivalent of contract employees....that being the case, they might as well take the money and become one. I would.