Berto
Sep 16, 05, 8:42 pm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/16/AR2005091601482.html
The fear that bankrupt Delta Air Lines Inc. and Northwest Airlines Corp. could slash the number of pilots along with their pay and pensions is leading some observers to wonder about the long-term impact on service.
"If not controlled, it could mean delays and disgruntled passengers," said airline expert Terry Trippler. "It's critical that this tension be stopped as quickly as possible."
Bankruptcy holds special danger for pilots. If pilot pensions were slashed or the pension funds were terminated, it could affect them more than any other group of employees at their airlines. That has made pilots in the past generally more willing than other groups to accept cuts aimed at avoiding bankruptcy. But that goodwill could be ending quickly.
Northwest waited just one day in bankruptcy to lay off 400 pilots, according to the pilots union. And a letter from Delta's pilot union to pilots Wednesday blames the company for wasting precious time before bankruptcy while pilots watched "a revolving door of senior executives come and go."
John Malone, chairman of the Delta pilot union's executive committee, vowed that the union would fight to protect the pilots' contract and pensions, but stressed that it won't be easy.
"The coming months will undoubtedly be the most difficult period in our pilot group's history," Malone wrote in the Wednesday letter.
The fear that bankrupt Delta Air Lines Inc. and Northwest Airlines Corp. could slash the number of pilots along with their pay and pensions is leading some observers to wonder about the long-term impact on service.
"If not controlled, it could mean delays and disgruntled passengers," said airline expert Terry Trippler. "It's critical that this tension be stopped as quickly as possible."
Bankruptcy holds special danger for pilots. If pilot pensions were slashed or the pension funds were terminated, it could affect them more than any other group of employees at their airlines. That has made pilots in the past generally more willing than other groups to accept cuts aimed at avoiding bankruptcy. But that goodwill could be ending quickly.
Northwest waited just one day in bankruptcy to lay off 400 pilots, according to the pilots union. And a letter from Delta's pilot union to pilots Wednesday blames the company for wasting precious time before bankruptcy while pilots watched "a revolving door of senior executives come and go."
John Malone, chairman of the Delta pilot union's executive committee, vowed that the union would fight to protect the pilots' contract and pensions, but stressed that it won't be easy.
"The coming months will undoubtedly be the most difficult period in our pilot group's history," Malone wrote in the Wednesday letter.