still albatross,
I am not sure if you are just sh1t stirring or genuinely perplexed by our industrial history. I will assume the latter!
From late 80s till 1996 - experienced applicants applied for FO positions (wasn't called DEFO as the majority of joiners were FOs back then) and the inexperienced applied to be SOs. CX screwed around with seniority making it DoJ in HKG, then date of course in ADL then date of upgrade to full FO from Junior FO. Basically they managed to p1ss off several hundred pilots with changing rules on seniority...this was mid 90s...any similarity to today?
From 1996 to 2000 the choices were, broadly speaking, FO in ASL or SO in CX, regardless of experience. Needless to say the ASL option was not desired by those that were recruited to it nor those affected by it. One of the outcomes of the 99 discord was the chance to reunite all pilots in one seniority list...now something to keep in mind...the ASL pilots gave up seniority to join the CX seniority list. Not only that they gave up a potential quick command, as I believe they were promised a 3/4 command rate for ASL versus CX. So to now berate the guys that switched over to CX is incredibly insensitive and ignorant. Those guys gave up fast commands and time in company for the greater good of a common seniority list. So to say they cost you time to command makes me question your understanding of seniority!
Now I do have a reputation for liking numbers...so just to humour me please explain how all those guys giving up their seniority to join CX on 1/1/00 cost you quote "7-9million" and 4 years to command? The guys that joined as SOs late 1999 got a faster command because of the incorporation of ASL guys on 1/1/00.
Just to give a big picture perspective to this, something sadly lacking at this airline!; there is no rhyme nor reason to these events. Still albatross, if you really believe the AOA has planned the current mess and is responsible for it, I suggest you sue them for lost potential earnings. I have only been involved with the GC for a short while in my career but in that time they managed to hide their machiavellian plans to screw your career!
To non AOA members...there is no silver bullet to our problems. What I do know for sure is that 2400 individuals will have no more success, and likely to have less success, than an organisation that represents 2400 pilots. History is replete with industrial examples proving that hypothesis. But if you believe you know better, save your 1% and when anything bad happens, tell yourself it was the AOA's fault, and when anything good happens(as if!) tell yourself it is because you saved your 1%. To me being in the AOA is like taking anti oxidants....can't prove it helps but I know it doesn't hurt.
Last edited by Numero Crunchero; 13th Jun 2008 at 16:23.