I too left in 1989 and have since worked for ten airlines . . . It's a highly unstable profession and the average business plan seems to last about 18 months before incompetence sets in. Having a command is great but after a few months it's just graft - and someone else gets the megabucks. I got p*ssed off with it and found something else to do where I can spend time with my young family. I would rather have sold my Mum in to prostitution than joined an airline management team.
Most places there seems to be a clique of about three pilots who are 'running' it. Usually this means that they have found a way off the roster by shafting their mates in the back.
Best quote I ever heard was from my first 'Manager' who was ex Canberras and Lincolns:
" The grass on the other side is astroturf! "
The same holds true today except that the astroturf is computer generated.
