I don't know if this is really an appropriate time to bring this up but how exactly would a merit system work in such an industry.
I will freely admit that there are some outstanding operators and also a few that sometimes have to work much harder to come up to scartch. However the vast majority are all within the same skill level. BA operate a points scoring system for checks and I would hedge my bets that a survey of the average would put 80-90% of us in the same boat.
That aside the thought of flying with people older than my grandad really scares me!!(just kidding)