This one is going to run!
My take:
Freighter F/Os
I have no problem with them – indeed much sympathy. They joined at the bottom. In my view they joined “below the bottom” in as much as they have only recently been added to the seniority list.
If I was a freighter F/O, I would be pushing for back dated seniority to date of joining ASL. Why?
1. It is fair
2.
The company might buy it – at the moment a whole bunch of freighter F/Os are at the same position on the seniority list, separated only by birthdays. As they come across en masse, the training task on the freighters is going to be huge as they are replaced. Never mind the challenge of recruiting their replacements – chuckle, chuckle
Direct Entry Captains
I am afraid I am very much in Goonybird’s camp. Direct Entry Captains will never receive my support – all these guys were mid career when they joined and had been around long enough to have know what was going on. There are plenty of CX F/Os (including, of course the ex Freighter F/Os!!) who would like an early command – cannot see any reason for a pay rise there! If there was some way of paying the ex CX guys their pay scale when they come across -then great. No way will I support a pay rise for Direct Entry Captains
Freighter Direct Entry Captains – they can have what they signed up for – second rate pay and conditions.