“Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go there will be trouble
And if I stay it will be double
So you gotta let me know
Should I stay or should I go?It’s always tease, tease, tease
You’re happy when I’m on my knees
One day is fine, the next is black
So if you want me off your back
Well come on and let me know
Should I Stay or should I goShould I stay or should I go now
Should I stay or should I go now
If I go there will be trouble
And if I stay it will be double
So you gotta let me know
Should I commit or should I blow”
That’s what more than a few American Airlines pilots are singing themselves today — as the deadline hits home for them to decide whether they themselves are gonna stay or gonna go.
And yes, from what we have been told, more than a few just might wait until the last minute today to let the company know about their decision. Why?
Because as one of our readers noted, “By waiting until the last day it gives
the company less time to react to you not showing up to work the DFW-NRT
trip tomorrow.”
According to one of our American pilot sources, “Friday at noon the Old Geezer Bodycount was 128 system wide retiring by the end of the month with 55 of those being DFW based. I don’t have the break out of what equipment but most would be concentrated on the 777 & 767 with a few sprinkled in with the 737 & DC-9. The union gets a copy by the middle of the next month so we’ll know more then.”
Why the rush to retire?
Pilots close to retirement age at American are able to lock in the value of a portion of their retirement benefits for a 90-day period. Dozens of American pilots took that option Oct. 31.
Should I stay or should I go?
Complicating all this, of course, is the fact that pilots do not now HAVE to retire at age 60.
APA officials this week estimated the airline may see as many as 150 pilots opt for retirement by the end of the day.
Then, be prepared for a whole new round of finger-pointing concerning potential flight cancellations, how many, and how big a deal this is from both the airline and the APA.