Hero Pilot's Pay Cut & Pension Terminated

WASHINGTON (AP) - The pilot who safely ditched a jetliner in the
Hudson River says that pay and benefit cuts are driving experienced
pilots from careers in the cockpit.
US Airways pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger says his pay has
been cut 40 percent in recent years and his pension has been
terminated. Sullenberger says cuts that followed airline
bankruptcies after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks coupled
with the current recession have placed pilots and their families in
an untenable financial situation.
Sullenberger and other crew members testified Tuesday before the
House aviation subcommittee about the Jan. 15 accident in which all
155 people aboard Flight 1549 survived.
The pilot said without experienced pilots "we will see negative
consequences to the flying public."


(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)