Here's the awful truth in the aviation world, all the companies have a tap setting for workforce. They do not want most of their pilots to stick around, this is a nightmare for them in a industrial relations setting. Most operations work on a core 30% strategy where they look after a few key pilots that actually manage things, the rest they are happy to walk when they've had enough. The tap is adjusted to what the training department can handle, not to stop pilots leaving.
When you make pilots too comfortable they start to stick together as a group (unity) become friends and agree on mutually beneficial goals. That then leads to the pilot group holding the company to task, on conditions and wages. Only the very top airlines would care about retention in the long run, the rest of the industry sets itself up as feeders for the next rung knowing that pilots would rather jump than fight to improve conditions at their current station.
Setting up a situation where pilots can move freely between airlines would be a godsend for the airlines, GA already enjoys this, not a great deal for pilots...
The current shortage of experienced pilots has thrown a spanner in what has been around for a long time. However I see no shortage until the airlines are paying for cadets to join from scratch, as what happens in Asia. Terms will then crash as they will have you by the balls with a huge training debt and good luck to moving without putting a financial noose around your neck. Jobs for direct entries will be only for the top end experienced captains, as with what happens now, once the cadets start getting their commands en masse then even those jobs will dry up. And there's nothing you can do to stop that, it would be quite within the companies rights to train their own at their cost and pay less or bond them for a lot.
The other thing to consider is that in the next 10 years you are probably looking at 20 thousand cadets in China coming off bond, most probably with significant large jet time including command. Good chance some of those guys will want to move to Australia for a different lifestyle given the opportunity.
Last edited by 43Inches; 9th Oct 2022 at 05:15.