I am becoming more and more envious of the pilots, who have to meet a recurring set of standards. Their group has a harder time of hiding incompetence.
Jango, I agree with you on your point. If it weren’t for a minority of workers at an airline who cared and tried to excel in their field, usually out of personal pride, the various operations would grind to a halt. These people need to be rewarded, somehow. I doubt if any organization’s operational manuals can actually work in the real world without some savvy individuals knowing all of the work arounds. When the airlines finally break their spirit, watch out.
If I come across as a hard-nut, well, chalk that up to the nasty old mechanics who showed me the ropes. They preached a “zero defect” ideal.