Web: www.fishfotoworldwide.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com
3/10/2008 – The Weekly Round Up : SWA's new threat to UA & AA; The Smell Of Jet-A; Pilot Pensions; Tripods As Carry-on; BA & Qantas iPhone Apps
I think I'll start this weekly round up with something not covered this week on Flying With Fish. Earlier this week Southwest Airlines announced it would begin service at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP). Southwest usually enters a market with 4, or more, destinations, they chose to enter MSP with only one. This route is non-stop MSP-Chicago. Many people are discussing how this will affect Northwest Airlines. I have bucked the trend and believe this move is not targeting Northwest Airlines but instead targeting United Airlines and American Airlines, and their customer base at MSP. You can read my opinion on this topic exclusively on AeroChannel.com here: http://www.aerochannel.com/features/4531349
This week on Flying With Fish I launched "Flying With Fish On Twitter." Twitter is designed to be a social networking tool, which I initially found to be quite annoying. After some looking into Twitter I decided to use it for a different purpose, as an 'info source.' As relevant information becomes available to me that I think may be of interest to the readers if Flying With Fish I simply send off a short message. To read more on this visit : 1/10/2008 - Flying With Fish On Twitter (or just sign up to follow me at www.twitter.com/flyingwithfish)
My first entry this week asked the question regarding what keeps me motivated to do what I do. Honestly, I love the challenges involved in traveling. For me, the point of the journey is not to arrive, and since I'll never have all the answers, I can never arrive. To read up on what keeps me motivated, and how I am working to try and work with the industry directly, visit:
29/09/2008 – I Love The Smell Of Jet A Fuel In The Morning
Last week I received a message from a reader with the user-name "walp" concerning the important topic of pilot pensions in regard to the Delta-Northwest Airlines merger. I planned to link that message to this weekly round up, but instead I decided to dedicate an entire post to it. I think this is an important piece of information and that everyone should take a moment and read it. You can find "walp"s message here: 30/09/2008 - From The Mail Bag : Pilot Pensions
What is the number one question I am asked by nature and landscape photographers? Can they get their tripod on-board as carry on? The answer is yes! For more info check here: 1/10/2008 - Can I Carry My Tripod On-board My Flight?
My iPhone 'App' of this week this week is a pair of 'Apps' from two OneWorld airlines. Both British Airways and Qantas have released proprietary iPhone 'Apps' that are excellent for their flyers. Every airline should take at look at these and explore the option of putting one out there! To read up on why I like BA Flights and Qantas Mobile read here: 2/10/2008 – iPhone 'Apps' Of The Week : BA Flights & Qantas Mobile (yes, there are two this week)
......last but not least I have relaunched Come Fly With Fish (www.comeflywithfish.com). On Come Fly With Fish I currently have two workshops up. The intense 'round-the-world' workshop, and the Single Day "Get Up & Fly" Boot Camp. The Get Up & Fly Boot Camps are scheduled for November 7th departing from New York's JFK and November 13th from Los Angeles' LAX.
As an incentive to the readers of Flying With Fish, each participant in the Get Up & Fly workshop will receive one of my favourite bags! If you read this site enough you may have a guess what bag I am talking about it. These bags will be sent out prior to our departure for you to pack up and work out of while attending the boot camp.
There has been significant interest in the Get Up & Fly Boot Camp but just a few more people are needed to meet the minimum required number to take off!
That's it for this week.
Happy Flying!
Showing posts with label Pilot Pensions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pilot Pensions. Show all posts
03 October 2008
30 September 2008
From The Mail Bag : Pilot Pensions
Web: www.fishfoto.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com
30/09/2008 - From The Mail Bag : Pilot Pensions
The other day "walp" left a comment on my post regarding the Delta & Northwest Airlines shareholders vote on the airlines merging (25/09/2008 – The Delta Airlines & Northwest Airlines Merger : The Shareholders Vote Today). The comment left by "walp" caused me to read it, and reread it, a number of times.
I was going to post a link to the comment left by "walp" in my weekly round up, however I have chosen to simply post their comment here directly for you all to read.
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START
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It probably seems to make sense to make this deal a reality but employees need to beware. Bad things happen to airline employees and you will read one sad story below.
According to several sources, Mr. Anderson, the current leader of Delta Air Lines, does not plan to reopen the issue of Delta Retired Pilots Pensions.
When Delta entered bankruptcy a little over 3 years ago, the very first day they requested and were given permission by the court to eliminate the retired pilots pension even though they had the funds in place to continue with these pensions.
The pension funds were given to the government entity called Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation. This outfit takes over failed pensions and throws all the funds from these failed plans into one pot and uses some magic formulas to come up with some pittance for the unfortunate pensioner. They were very happy to get all the hundreds of millions from the Delta pilots pension fund since they need the money to stay solvent. Now, instead of the retired Delta pilots receiving what they worked their entire careers earning the PBGC worked their magic and decided we should receive a very small percentage of our original earned pension. Yes, earned, it was part of our compensation that was put into the fund all during our career. Now it has been stolen by delta and they do not want to reinstate it but they will pay the pensions of the retired Northwest pilots.
Can anybody explain how it will be fair for a pilot that worked his or her entire career for Delta and now has only approximately 10-12% of his or her original pension paid by the PBGC.
Now, Delta and Northwest are going merge and the new airline will be called Delta and as I noted earlier, the retired Northwest pilots will continue to get their pensions from Delta and the original REAL Delta Pilots will not be reinstated to the same pension.
Totally unfair and nothing that the Delta retired pilots had the choice or opportunity to vote on. The deal was struck between ALPA (Air Line Pilots Association - the union) and the former Delta management. Again, retired Delta pilots had no choice.
I want the news media and every blog and internet source to jump on this discussion as well as any customer of this giant bully called Delta.
Almost no current Delta passenger or customer knows what happened to the small group of retired pilots that were treated so grossly unfair.
The NEW Delta needs to do what is right and that is to include the original Delta retired pilots in the new company pilot pension plan.
It will take some undoing of past agreements and require somehow reaquiring the pension moneys that were simply given to the PBGC but if the lawyers could figure out how to take it away from this group then, they can figure out how to reaquire the funds.
Delta spent untold millions to attorneys to do the bankruptcy and try as we could, the small group of retired Delta pilots could not ever come up with enough money to combat the army of Delta attorneys, we were simply railroaded.
Any legal costs to reinstate our pensions should be born by Delta since they are the ones that did the deed. It is only the right thing to do.
Come on folks, jump in on this issue. Lets hear what you have to say. Do you agree that Delta should reinstate the retired Delta Pilots Pension Fund that was taken away? If you disagree, speak up with your reasons.
Remember, it could be your group next. No labor group is immune.
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END
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I can't say I disagree with anything "walp" has said in this comment.
Happy Flying!
30/09/2008 - From The Mail Bag : Pilot Pensions
The other day "walp" left a comment on my post regarding the Delta & Northwest Airlines shareholders vote on the airlines merging (25/09/2008 – The Delta Airlines & Northwest Airlines Merger : The Shareholders Vote Today). The comment left by "walp" caused me to read it, and reread it, a number of times.
I was going to post a link to the comment left by "walp" in my weekly round up, however I have chosen to simply post their comment here directly for you all to read.
-----------
START
-----------
It probably seems to make sense to make this deal a reality but employees need to beware. Bad things happen to airline employees and you will read one sad story below.
According to several sources, Mr. Anderson, the current leader of Delta Air Lines, does not plan to reopen the issue of Delta Retired Pilots Pensions.
When Delta entered bankruptcy a little over 3 years ago, the very first day they requested and were given permission by the court to eliminate the retired pilots pension even though they had the funds in place to continue with these pensions.
The pension funds were given to the government entity called Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation. This outfit takes over failed pensions and throws all the funds from these failed plans into one pot and uses some magic formulas to come up with some pittance for the unfortunate pensioner. They were very happy to get all the hundreds of millions from the Delta pilots pension fund since they need the money to stay solvent. Now, instead of the retired Delta pilots receiving what they worked their entire careers earning the PBGC worked their magic and decided we should receive a very small percentage of our original earned pension. Yes, earned, it was part of our compensation that was put into the fund all during our career. Now it has been stolen by delta and they do not want to reinstate it but they will pay the pensions of the retired Northwest pilots.
Can anybody explain how it will be fair for a pilot that worked his or her entire career for Delta and now has only approximately 10-12% of his or her original pension paid by the PBGC.
Now, Delta and Northwest are going merge and the new airline will be called Delta and as I noted earlier, the retired Northwest pilots will continue to get their pensions from Delta and the original REAL Delta Pilots will not be reinstated to the same pension.
Totally unfair and nothing that the Delta retired pilots had the choice or opportunity to vote on. The deal was struck between ALPA (Air Line Pilots Association - the union) and the former Delta management. Again, retired Delta pilots had no choice.
I want the news media and every blog and internet source to jump on this discussion as well as any customer of this giant bully called Delta.
Almost no current Delta passenger or customer knows what happened to the small group of retired pilots that were treated so grossly unfair.
The NEW Delta needs to do what is right and that is to include the original Delta retired pilots in the new company pilot pension plan.
It will take some undoing of past agreements and require somehow reaquiring the pension moneys that were simply given to the PBGC but if the lawyers could figure out how to take it away from this group then, they can figure out how to reaquire the funds.
Delta spent untold millions to attorneys to do the bankruptcy and try as we could, the small group of retired Delta pilots could not ever come up with enough money to combat the army of Delta attorneys, we were simply railroaded.
Any legal costs to reinstate our pensions should be born by Delta since they are the ones that did the deed. It is only the right thing to do.
Come on folks, jump in on this issue. Lets hear what you have to say. Do you agree that Delta should reinstate the retired Delta Pilots Pension Fund that was taken away? If you disagree, speak up with your reasons.
Remember, it could be your group next. No labor group is immune.
-------
END
-------
I can't say I disagree with anything "walp" has said in this comment.
Happy Flying!
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