Retirement Resource Center › Disclaimer
Disclaimer and legal notes
Please read this page. It explains what this resource center is, what it is not, and how to use it safely.
The short version
- This is an unofficial guide. It is here to help you understand your options and ask better questions.
- We are not attorneys. We are not financial advisors. We are not tax, insurance or benefits professionals.
- Please conduct your own research and confirm everything with the official source before you make a decision.
- If this guide and an official document ever disagree, the official document wins.
Not professional advice
Nothing in the Retirement Resource Center is legal, financial, investment, tax, medical, insurance or benefits advice. The answers, guides, charts, checklists and calculators are general information written in plain language. They do not take your personal situation into account.
Retirement decisions can be permanent. Some choices cannot be undone once you make them, such as when to start a pension, whether to take a lump sum, or whether to waive medical coverage. Before you decide, talk with the plan administrator and with a qualified professional you trust, such as a licensed financial advisor, a tax professional or an attorney.
Not official
Jumpseatnews.com is an independent website created by Christopher Lee. This resource center is a personal project. It is not an official publication of, and is not sponsored or endorsed by, United Airlines, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), Fidelity, Alight, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, the IAM National Pension Fund, the Social Security Administration, Medicare, or any other organization named on these pages. Names of companies and plans are used only to point you to the right place.
What this guide is based on
The information here was put together from these sources:
- The 2026 collective bargaining agreement between United Airlines and its flight attendants as represented by AFA-CWA, mainly Section 29 (Benefits) and the letters of agreement printed in that document.
- The earlier joint collective bargaining agreement, used to understand what changed.
- The union's official Summary of Changes for the 2026 agreement.
- The United MEC Benefits Committee retirement seminar video, which is included on the main page.
- Public updates from the union's Joint Implementation Team website (through its September 9, 2026 update).
- Official public websites such as ssa.gov, medicare.gov, pbgc.gov and irs.gov.
What was not available
All 23 Letters of Agreement printed in the 2026 contract (LOA 1 to LOA 23) were reviewed. Some other documents could not be obtained while this resource center was being built, because they sit behind member or employee logins that are not public. Christopher was not provided with them and was not able to get them. That means this guide could not check every detail against documents such as:
- Anything on the union's members-only Letters of Agreement page beyond the 23 letters printed in the contract, such as side letters or agreements signed later.
- The official plan documents and Summary Plan Descriptions for the 401(k), the retiree medical plans, life insurance, the Continental Retirement Plan (CARP) and the IAM National Pension Plan.
- Company policies that live on Flying Together, such as the pass travel policy and the Help Hub retirement checklist.
- Exhibit A of LOA 1 (a union PAC form), which is referred to but not printed in the contract. It has nothing to do with retirement.
Even without those documents, there is plenty of information and help here. Where a detail depends on a document we could not see, we say so and point you to the people who can give you the official answer.
Accuracy and changes
We worked hard to make this guide accurate, and every answer shows where it comes from. Even so, mistakes are possible. Contracts get amended, plan rules change, phone numbers and websites move, and government rules are updated every year. Dates, dollar amounts and percentages on these pages reflect what we knew as of September 30, 2026.
The contract, the official plan documents, the plan administrators, the company and the union always have the final word. Always confirm with them.
About the calculators
The calculators give estimates to help you plan. They are not official figures and they are not a promise of any payment or benefit. They use simplified rules and the numbers you type in. Your real pay, pension, premium or benefit can be different. Do not rely on a calculator result to make a decision. Get your official numbers from the plan or the company.
About the video
The retirement seminar video was produced by the United MEC Benefits Committee. As the presenters say in the video, they are not giving financial advice. Short quotes from the video are used here to help explain each topic. The video player is provided by Vimeo and only loads if you press play.
Links to other websites
We link to outside websites to save you time. We do not control those websites and we are not responsible for what is on them. Some links go to company or union pages that require your own login.
Your privacy on these pages
- Questions you type are answered inside your own browser. They are not sent to us or to anyone else.
- Numbers you type into the calculators stay on your device.
- Your group choice, checklist and calculator entries are saved in your browser's storage on your device so they are still there next time. You can erase them with the clear buttons or by clearing your browser data.
- If you make a share link from a calculator, the numbers you typed are stored inside that link. Only share it with people you want to see them.
- Never type passwords, Social Security numbers or account numbers into these pages. Nothing here asks for them.
See the site-wide privacy policy for more.
No guarantee and no liability
This resource center is provided as is, with no warranty of any kind. By using it, you agree that Jumpseatnews.com and Christopher Lee are not responsible for any loss, cost or damage that comes from using or relying on anything here. You are responsible for your own decisions.
See something wrong?
If you spot a mistake or something that is out of date, please let us know so it can be fixed. Thank you for helping keep this accurate for everyone.