Very true Herod. Seniority, by its very nature, keeps pilots in a company; you leave you loose!
Guvnor:
"the FOD/Chief Pilot/Training Captains then unfortunately - but naturally - personal bias will creep in".
You don't like pilots do you! Are you saying that personal bias only rears its ugly head in the opperational division of the company or companies that you have worked for?
Seniority benefits both pilot and company. The company keeps its experienced people who in turn should be able to pass their knowledge on to the less experienced.
By the time that a pilot makes S/Capt. or S/FO the company must have a very good idea of the indeviduals strengths an weaknesses. Any good company would have sorted the wheat from the chaff by this stage.
Seniority should protect the F/O from direct entry Captains and, depending on ability, give them an idea of time to command.
For Captains it is a right of having done ones time. Why should a senior Captain not have the right for the first bids on fleet transfer, leave and flights?
No system is perfect, but until someone shows me something better I will vote for it.
[ 16 July 2001: Message edited by: Hogwash ]