This is AWESOME

You GO CS. Whoever you are. I salute you. Good luck with your new job. (and of course, taken with a grain of salt, could be just in fun as well. )

Subject: NWA Captain Retirement Letter


Northwest Airline Captain Retirement Letter

Well , The good news is, Today I officially Retire from Northwest
Airlines and I was hired last week for a Service Advisor job in the
automotive division of Sears (which is the first real job I had while
going to college and loved it and it's what I want to do in my old
age)--pay is good and it includes full medical,dental,401k & profit
sharing---should be more than enough even without the retirement
money---may still consider the same line of work at a regular
dealership at some point, covering my six for now---- I'll be home
every night---no more check rides--no FEDS or commuters on my jump
seat taking up my office space---no more 25% PENALTY for being
legitimately sick---no more scum bag hotels---no more old bitchy
flight attendants---no more 14 hour duty days with 10 hour
layovers---no more drafting my butt downline to fly the remains of
somebody else's trip because they can't staff the airline
correctly---no more zero/zero approaches into blinding thunderstorms
or blizzards--no more strip searches at the security checkpoints by
high school drop-outs ( my I.D. means nothing )--no more subway
sandwiches at the airport served by Somalis that can never get my
order right. Can't sit down and have a hot meal between legs at a
nice restaurant cause there's not enough time---no more missed
recitals, birthdays or holidays---no more 3:30 am (body clock) wakeup
calls on the east coast--no more number 20 for take off behind 18 little
regional jets at LaGuardia---no more company bus rides from the
employee lot in machines, where either the rear door doesn't work or
the A.C. or heat is out of order---no more "fear and intimidation
style management" to live under( the head honcho of the Sears store
actually gave me the second and final intervie w ( not normal) " he
actually wanted to meet me" and said I should consider a position in
management with my credentials and philosophies about how I believe
people should be treated and that he was really happy to see someone
like me consider a position with his company ..he told me I would be
an asset to any organization, unlike my current employer, that has
always "behind the scenes" regarded me and my peers as liabilities
and prima donnas..go figure ! I'm not unique. Most Pilots at this point
still fit the same mold. Unfortunately that mold is slowly and
methodically being reshaped by corporate robber barons into something
they can shackle to a Yoke and, who they hope, will never question
the methods to their madness.
The more I re-read this e-mail, the more I wonder why it has
taken me so long to come to this decision to hang up flying---oh yeh,
it's cause I couldn't touch my retirement money till now, penalty
free....I'm finally ready for the simpler life with considerably less
stress. It use to be that the Airline rewarded us for all these
little inconviences we take for granted and the time we spend away
from home and family that was part of our daily lives in this profession.
We made good money, had considerable time off and the benefits were to
brag about.That is no longer the case. My Plumber makes more a year
now than I do. His labor rate alone is $95.00/hr when he set my
kitchen sink last May and he's a high school drop out. His yearly
salary is based on a 160 hour work month (40 a week) --My $93.00/hr
and annual salary is based on an 80 hour month (hard time in the air)
which doesn't include all the on duty and time I am away from home.

I suspect the New Airline Pilot of the future will probably be one
of those kids you remember in high school that got out of classes
on a 2:30pm work permit to go learn a trade because they weren't
particularly bright. Of course he'll have to be on some kind of Government
program to pay for his training. There's no way he'll be able to come up
with the $100,000.00 in flight training costs to get his licences, and you'll
never see another Military Pilot leave the armed forces for an Air Carrier
position where it will take almost his entire career to reach the salary he
left behind at his Military job. I would not recommend this profession anymore
to anyone I really cared about. My guess is the Airline industry will have to
lower their Standards as well as their requirements as the airplanes get more
automated (the FAA will agree) if they're gonna get any applicants.

Let the buyer beware when he takes his next airplane ride in the future.
I have absolutely no regrets about getting out while the getting is good.
I use to love my job and the adventure that every trip brought. It's just no
fun going to work anymore. It's all about quality of life ---unfortunately,
you don't figure that out till you're on the back side of the clock in most
careers and in the Big Scheme of things, approaching your own ultimate demise.
Life is really too short to devote one extra minute of your time to a company
as well as a profession that is not everything you had hoped for,
I'm baffled trying to think of another industry that has so brutally passed
on the increased costs of doing business to their employees rather
than their customers. Even my garbage man is charging a surcharge
for fuel to me rather than rape his employees.
I'm out - a - here.......
CS

ps: I will forward a short movie to some of you of my Northwest
Uniform going up in smoke so no terrorist can ever use it. My Eastern
Airlines uniform and my Navy uniform still hang proudly in my
closet....