hate to pee on yer bonfire old chap but
seniority is good for terms and conditions
Best t's and c's in the uk belong to airlines with seniority systems, worst t's and c's to those without.
Anyone who thinks that a meritocracy exists is either very naive or has little experience of working in a professional career in the real world.
I've had a previous 15 year professional engineering career in a very reputable blue chip multinational where promotion was on merit. Except that merit actually meant playing golf with the right people. Staying late unpaid. Being a yes man, etc etc etc. competency had very little to do with anything.
Meritocracys (like many lovely touchy feely concepts) are theoretically great, but practically don't work because of human nature, greed, envy etc etc.
I've also spent 5 years working for a small airline with no seniority list and cannot wait to start in BA next month. I may be going on the bottom of the list, but at least I know, absolutely 100% what my prospects and options are.
Anyway who says the other industrys are better. Medical industry has an 'accident' rate that would kill the airline industry in a week. Finance...so competent they destroyed the entire global economy.'nuff said really. Lawyers - I think you'll find the top city partnerships will work you half to death and do have an informal seniortiy system anyway. Nobody comes in the front door to a partnership.
The only people that generally complain about seniority are those at the bottom who would sell their sole to get ahead and look what that greed has done to t's and c's in ryanair.