Originally Posted by Re-Heat
Yes, but do you tell them that you typically go back to the bottom once you change outfits?
Edited to add: where it certainly addresses the point of "people getting their turn", it fails entirely to address the problem of very, very strong potential commanders failing to get their turn until far later than in other locations.
Yes I tell them that that is a possibility, but not an absolute. There are plenty of companies out there that take DECs or have much shorter time to commands. All you have to do is be willing to move.
How do you define a "very, very strong potential commander", and indeed why do you think they are more entitled to a command than just a quite good potential commander? A lesson frequently taught in engineering is not to over-specify things as it leads to higher costs and complexity for little gain. Given that all commanders must work to a very high level of competency in any decent airline why is there any case for "very, very strong potential commanders" to jump the queue when they will bring little extra to the operation but cause a large amount of discord?