Originally Posted by
speed freek
And CRS was meant for all fleets except 787/A350, yet only the 747 and some LGW guys were in it. Captains, SFOs and FOs. Yes we all came back but only because the market recovered. The hold pools had an expiry time, CRS was two years and it got close to that date before it was empty.
I won’t ever be bidding for the 380. Seniority isn’t as important as the seat you’re in when it really matters. Good luck to everyone with your decisions.
But that, in my opinion, is a very myopic decision to your own detriment. Covid, as I said before, was an almost total ground stop to the entire industry. Virtually zero revenue coming into the company coffers for months. You are not going to see any downturn worse than that in your entire life again. And yet there were not swathes of A380 pilots and Jumbo pilots laid off down the job centre, and there are plenty of examples of Jumbo pilots who were retrained to the 787, 777 and elsewhere before we even got to the CRS. Yes there was union involvement in that but I would like to think the community would step up to the plate again. Any CRS pilot for instance who wouldn’t would be a case of extremely bad darts. There is clear precedent now. But as I said governments worldwide know that travel bans were pure political theatre and completely ineffective which the data will no doubt show. We are not going to see another reaction like March ‘20 again not least because Governments simply cannot afford it. WWIII? Quite frankly if that starts then our fleets are going to be the very least of our concern (repeating myself).
Limited destinations? So what? They’re mostly all good. You’re not going to be going anywhere near Accra or Lagos or anywhere totally crap. No sitting with a fantastic view of the motorway in Woodbridge, NJ with nowhere to eat.
Cycling across the Golden Gate & wine tours in Napa, Golfing in Joburg, Surfing in Huntington. Not freezing your nuts off in Montreal. The bunks are the best of any fleet and no waiting with the pax to use the toilet. Genuinely feeling part of an extended family on a small fleet. The great thing about having a few good destinations is that you can really get to know them and develop your little routines. Honestly, don’t listen to the naysayers on here. I only got the A380 last minute and I’m so glad I did, there is no better fleet especially if you’re junior and especially if you actually want to have a life.