Why do commercial pilots support seniority based promotion?
As a GA pilot with a full time job in technology, I’ve never been able to understand why commercial pilots seem to support (or tolerate) seniority based promotion. I’m not interested in a labor vs. management argument, but reading the “Co-pilot saves the day” thread in rumors and a recent article in Flying, it reminded me that in any other professional organization there would be little likelihood of highly experienced folks being forced down the ladder and supervised by those with less experience.
And even more important, I can’t imagine why a professional would not want to leverage their skills to go wherever they want whenever they want (i.e. move into a more senior position, better location, etc) by selling advanced skills to potential employers.
Again, don’t want to start a flame war, but could you help someone on the outside understand why most pilots seem to support this process?