misd-agin:
True- it was mostly deregulated, but it just seems to me that with so much inside maneuvering by the PBGC, ATSB etc, not to mention White House agendas pushing on the DOT (FAA), which together with the various commercial (don't forget about the ATA-the airline Upper Mgmt 'union') forces of deregulation in recent years are almost designed to crush labor, despite the growth of many jobs in the early 80s. The ability of corporations to grossly under-fund pensions has appeared to be another element to exploit labor to the benefit of stockholder's/Upper Mgmt.
The terrible events at USAir seemed to reflect this almost overwhelming stacking of the decks against labor staff.
Former Professor Alfred Kahn's bizarre and-at best-murky theories about the benefits of deregulation are not only mostly theoretical and abstract but he 'allegedly'
received either
TAC or New York Air stock (or a seat on the Board of Dir.? )before
deregulation was set up. If it could be proven, that would have been a major conflict of interest.
The lack of a national seniority system by ALPA decades ago has allowed each pilot group to be separately conquered-each airline's pilot group mostly stands alone. The net effect is similar to having a different union at each company.
I'm not so sure that the Dereg. Act's policy to give preference to laid off staff
was effective. Or was it? There seem to many Braniff pilots who got interviews fairly quickly with majors. If the majors were required to allow Braniff and others into interviews (allowing them to be hired first) in the short-term, then that was a very good thing.
Pardon the long-winded sermon up there.
That Bandit was a really good plane. Wish I could still fly one a few hours a month. Could 'sync.' those props easier than 'those' on a P & W JT8D-9.