Flexible Response wrote
"But to be a Commander in CX demands the highest standards of personal integrity, judgement and character which can be worlds apart from the mere ability to pole a hunk of tin around the skies, which is the minimum acceptable criteria for a First Officer."
hostile23 wrote
What an absolute utter load of horse sh!t.
Hey! I didn't make the rules! I am just detailing the facts.
I don’t like the management and especially some of the more supercilious pricks they employ there any more than you do. But let’s keep that a separate issue here. OK?
Whether or not one personally agrees or disagrees with the standards that CX requires of it Commanders is hardly the argument here. The standards have remained the same for the last 50 or 60 years and seem to have served the airline well. As they say from time to time, "it's our train set and we'll run it any way we feel like".
From time to time the Command failure rate has always had blips both upward and downward. Natural leaders seem to sail through the process without even a blink of the eye. But for those other of us, well, we just have to learn the responsibilities and craft of Command the hard way.
If you sit around picking your nose while hoping that someone will shake some holy water on you through the belief that you have some God-given right bestowed by seniority number, then you may be sadly disappointed. You have to personally demonstrate to the company that you are worthy of the responsibility and that they can trust you to carry out the duties that they require of you.
In CX, Command is not a right. Command is earned.
CX Command standards have stood the test of time and aren't likely to change soon. However, if anyone would prefer a less demanding route to Command, then they are obviously welcome to pursue options with other airlines that have lower standards