Oldfreightdawg

For the record, AMR has repeatedly told APA they are not interested in negotiating away our A-fund, at least for now. In fact it is projected to be over funded right now. Ironically, the company was able to reduce the A-fund's liabilities by 540 million over the next 3 years because of the age 65 legislation. Accrued benefit liabilities go down the longer a pilot works because the liability calculation is based on mortality, e.g. less money paid out because the time between retirement and death is shorter.

Secondly, AMR continues to assert that the defined benefit plan is cheaper to fund in the long term than a defined contribution plan. Furthermore the the reason other plans went bust was because the plan sponsors (airlines) took payment holidays when the plans were over funded in the 90's, and stopped most payments post 9/11. Why AMR didn't follow the same strategy is beyond me.

Kozlowski13

Unfortunately, I do think you guys will be spun off. The same thing happened to use at XJT. No one bought us, just a stock transfer to generate cash for CAL. I imagine it would be the same for AMR once the spin off takes place.

emj55

ALL EAGLE PILOTS need to step away from the crack pipe and drop the kool aid. I worked at eagle for 3 years and drank it to. All Eagle is to AMR is a card in a game that is so big that eagle pilots can't even comprehend. Everyday I went to work at Eagle, the captains and fo's were brainwashed. Everyone thinks one day they will make it to American. It will never happen. Eagle has the greatest most professional pilots I have ever worked with and I wish them nothing but te best. But for all the FO's over there, the worst thing you can do is listen to your captain. They are delusional because when they got hired they were told they would make it to American one day. Leave ASAP.

Flyby1206

You are correct, but on the other hand AA is the only thing keeping us alive, so we really try to hang on for survival. If we are spun off as AMR says then there is no way to compete in the regional market in our current state with obsolete aircraft and top heavy seniority issues leading to higher labor costs. We would end up just as bad (if not worse) than XJT is currently. I would love to jump ship from AE, but am not interested in a LCC. Get me a job at a large fractional or legacy carrier and I would take it in a heartbeat.

DYNASTY HVY

Why is it that you guys at AE cannot go over to AA if you have the mins necessary to go over ?
CORRECT ME if I,m wrong but was the original idea to train commuter pilots so they could move up into main?

Thank goodness for cargo .

mwa1

makes more financial sense to hire from someone else.
fact - AA hired more people from Air Coast (Independence) than AE

EagleDriver

Previous posts have told you to wake up and I think they are right. You are correct, AMR is the only thing keeping Eagle alive and AMR is about to sever the lifeline with the spin-off. Yeah they'll try to brainwash the uninformed who "want" to be brainwashed and tell you that the spin-off will allow you to compete for feed for different carriers but get real. You said it yourself, Eagle has obsolete aircraft and high labor costs. Eagle can't compete that's why they are being spun-off. They are dead meat. After a few years AA will abandon them completely.

You're not interested in a LCC? You'll be interested real fast when Eagle no longer competes for AA traffic. You said, "Get me a job at a large fractional or legacy.....". Are you asking someone else to hand you a job? I'm sorry to sound harsh but it's a competitive marketplace out here. You are the guy who will get your own job by polishing off the resume and hitting the interview circuit again. I've had to do it after two bankruptcies and a furlough and I know it stinks but give yourself a kick in the pants and beat down some bushes. I hope you didn't wait too long. You might have great experience if you've been a CA at AE for awhile but now there's going to be a temporary oversupply of pilots with filings from ATA, Aloha, Big Sky, Skybust, Sun Country, Champion, and whoever is next. Good luck!

bgmann

I agree.

But AA by merging with AE would then become like US Airways with regional jets at the bottom and even LONGER upgrade times.

US Airways fleet kinda resembles the idea of legacy (US Air) purchasing a large Regional (America West).

I dont see it as a bad idea. Take AE off the lower shelf and place the AE "packet" below the AA "packet" on the same shelf. Then AA can advertise as being the largest airline! 9,129 + 3,000 pilots=12,129 active pilots; 699 + 289 aircraft=988 aircraft. Even NWA a DAL merger cant beat that.
I say why not do that? Although it does seem weird. AMR already owns them...hmm interesting. But I am no manager.

mwa1

cheaper to do another "compass" and start everyone at first yr pay - furloughees first of course.