Originally Posted by
Busdriver01
My query here is that even for a 24 year old with no real commitments (other than the fact most of their friends will likely work normal mon-fri jobs, which makes socialising with them a nightmare), is JSS in 17 years time (or whatever roster system is in place) going to be very desirable as a new captain? Ie you spend 5-10 years doing the rubbish lines because you’re junior, the enjoy the next half a decade at the top of the FO list for your fleet, picking and choosing the trips you want and not working weekends. You’re ready to take your command, age roughly 40 (which is when you more than likely will have commitments) and then just like that, you’re the most junior again. It takes until you’re 50 to regain any sort of relative seniority, all the while family are left for another weekend without you.
My question being will the introduction if this system / general assault in Ts+Cs result in more career SFOs who refuse to be junior again?
Certainly career SFO is what I’m thinking of doing. I have the advantage that I was able to join young from elsewhere. But yes, realistically I’ll still be 40 odd by the time I’m senior enough for any sort of lifestyle in the LHS.
JSS has changed things in ways I don’t think as yet have been quite understood. Someone else points out US majors, but it’s a level playing field in that they are all seniority driven, they generally work less (certainly not 6x LH trips a month) which negates some of the negatives of juniority as at least you have a fair amount of time at home, and are paid a lot more.
In the UK that certainly isn’t the case. Right now in BA it’s the perfect storm. We have a seniority driven system unlike any other carrier, working to the absolute limits of both industrial and legal rules, which makes the lifestyle pretty tough even for the most senior, combine that with juniority and it’s a nightmare.
All the while actually not being paid anywhere near what other even European legacy carriers earn never mind Easy/Ryr/TUI/Jet2 all paying their SH skippers more than the majority of ours.