Originally Posted by
hans brinker
Or: Lowest diversion levels, lowest fuel burns (by departing min fuel), lowest level of cancellations due to MX write ups or fatigue calls, it is a VERY big can of worms you open. Seniority is the worst system, except for all the others (W. Churchill)
Scaremongering. None of this happens at my non-seniority airline and any plans to introduce such nonsense could be easily stopped by a united workforce and a decent union. Also, such an airline would become a crap place to work and, with true free movement of labour, would struggle to maintain staff levels.
Originally Posted by
172_driver
There are many of us that have waited for our time for a command slot, long haul, part time, whatever seniority is used for... If you can't take the salary cut or demotion that's a burden you have to carry. Choose your career path wisely.I admit, some fall short on luck for whatever reason, life circumstances, timing in the pilot market, bankruptcies. Still, it would be grossly unfair to undercut those who've waited their time. In my outfit there are 20+ year FO's.
But it’s OK for the gross unfairness of pilots spending 15+ years on a seniority list and having to start again at the bottom because their company went bust? Our companies are run by senior executives who have fundamentally different (and shorter term) incentives to those of pilots on long seniority lists. The executives don’t have to worry about starting at the bottom if it all goes wrong.
It would be interesting to see the true numbers, but considering more companies have folded over time than exist now, it’s a reasonable assumption to say seniority has screwed more of us than it has benefitted.
The future is so unpredictable with many, many unknowns. Trying to plan around a 20 year wait in the queue at one company seems more like an exercise in one’s luck than “choosing wisely”.