Again the
VB pilots that have taken FO slots were not threatened with job loss
Not true, Not all of the junior guys at
VB have low hours. Two of my former colleges went to
VB with around 3000-4000 hrs on 737's one was retrenched the other was faced with retrenchment or VA and chose to go across to VA as an FO.
Can I throw something else in the mix here. Everyone is on about how the VA guys are lowering T&C's in Australian aviation if not the world, What about when Qantas started charging for the skills and psychometric testing who was the first person to say “but it’s Qantas if I have to pay $200 then I’ll do it”, or when JQ started charging $15 just to have a CV on file. What about the first people to pay for endorsements, what about when guys starting working at the local drop zone or the local aero club for free just to "get their hours up".
Sorry but you can not blame these guys, this industry has been slowly getting inbred over the years, and will take a lot to turn it around .