Smell the Coffee just beat me to it. Several of my friends from the early 90's worked as CC for a couple of years while waiting for a right hand seat.
JetEnginesRUs
Well, I was hoping that it would actually depend on ability and everyone had the same chance.
All airline jobs involve an application process that includes many facets. You are applying to effectively join British Airways and as all the DEPs for BA know the first stage of application involves answering 4 essay style questions and then, prior to day 1, a candidate has to complete a 300 question personality test. Everyone has the same chance.
Whilst I appreciate that integration into a team is required and this is suited to some personalities more than others, I don't think you can get a good impression of someone and how they would actually fit in without meeting them in person.
Applications for these positions will be in the 1000s so there must be a way to whittle them down to a manageable number for interview. You can get a pretty good impression of an individual from an application form; can they spell?; use basic punctuation?; have they thought about the questions and the answers BA are looking for?; have you checked the work before submitting it?. As a school governor we had 70 applications for 1 teaching post and I was amazed at the number of would-be teachers who apparently couldn't spell. They didn't make the interview shortlist.
Regards