Scroggs,
I respect and understand what you say about the classics, and no i dont have an informend view of the company, but I think it is safe to assume, that while there may be no lease payments to make on most of them, in its place will be capital repayment and maintenance charges. While seniority might be the way things are done, as opposed to corporate world, is it not right to think that people might oneday be promoted on merit, rather than time served. Your IFS, while not quite as important in the running of the plane, got there on Merit, not time. This would however require a change of global proportions not just in the airlines but the pilots. I wish that we could all keep our jobs and lives, but at then end of the day, we are dealt some bad cards, all we can hope is that we can adapt to change and make the best of it. Darwin documented the process rather well. Good luck in the future