Originally Posted by
Trossie
TWA, Eastern Airlines, Pan Am, Swissair, SABENA. All 'legacy career airlines'. All with seniority systems. How was job security with them?
Earnest Gann has been mentioned. He got out of the airline industry when he saw, as a senior pilot in his airline how unfair the system was on people, not on their own choices or decisions but entirely on the decisions of those in management or the quirks of business at the time.
actually... he didn’t like that he was junior, so he left and went to the airlift command. And after the war when he returned, he didn’t like his number and so he left to a new upstart to become its number 2 pilot. When that failed he went to another upstart and at the bottom complained that he’s in the right seat.
in each of those cases there were pilots who spent years building the airline and their seniority. How right is it to try and bypass that system and cut in line?
At the point that you’re safe and professional, the difference in piloting skills become less important. Do you want an airline that promotes the guy/gal with no kids and is willing to work work work? Or that chooses to furlough or make redundant the pilot with expensive health issues and too many sick calls? Look at EK and you’ll see professionals mid career with kids in college being let go because they cost more.
Gann tried to sharp shoot the system and he finally left flying. He could have stayed and his seniority would have been just fine. Yes, there is always the risk of a defunct airline or a bad merger. I’m on airline number 6.
sorry to revive this, but I just reread “Fate is the Hunter.”