How many of your passengers

have also served their country in the military and risked their lives

as soldiers without complaining? I guarantee that they were at far greater

risk with a rifle in their hands than you ever were while jamming radar

at 600 mph. They served their time and moved on without thinking they

deserved special treatment.

What about the professional

people who are on call 24 hours per day and work more in five days than

you work in a month? And by the way, most doctors, lawyers, dentists,

etc., usually have hundreds of thousands of dollars in school loans to

pay back for their educations, which often take eight to 10 years to complete.

I notice that your college education was subsidized by the taxpayers of

Georgia who built and maintain Georgia Tech. I also notice that the flight

skills you are so proud of were completely paid for with taxpayer dollars.

I would be willing to bet that every hour in your flight log was paid

for by taxpayers of the customers of Delta.

Salary. Be honest about what

you make. Your base pay (which was grossly understated in the AJC) does

not begin to reflect what you really make. Add your overtime pay. Add

your expense money which you pocket after eating free meals while the

aircraft is on autopilot. Add long layovers where you can take your wife

along at no charge. Add medical benefits for your entire family. Add free

life insurance and free disability insurance. Add vacation pay. Add the

matching funds for your 401K account. Add the monthly hours you receive

credit for without actually making the flight. Add all the pay you receive

while on reserve even though in many cases you do not fly at all. Tell

the AJC reporter what your W-2 gross pay was for the last year.

Next add the big one retirement

pay beginning with a lump sum payment of more than $1 million at age 60,

plus a monthly retirement check for the rest of your life, 100 percent

of which is funded by Delta Air Lines with no contributions on your part.

Most American workers fund their own retirements with 401K plans. And

yet you poor babies still complain.

Mr. Switzer, I agree with you

when you say, "We deserve to be fairly compensated." Fair would

be 40 hours of actual flight time per week while paying your own expenses

like many of us have to. Fair would be pay in line with other jobs at

your airline. Fair would be a retirement program like most Americans contribute

to. Perhaps you should campaign for a pay cut to allow for larger seats

and more leg room on planes for those of us who pay your salary. Fair

would be requiring you to pay for your flight training, schooling, type

certification and other professional training. Fair would be holding you

responsible for serving the people who pay to fly your airline.

Name withheld by request