Thats the price for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, which is not todays applicants fault. The time to join Virgin was back in the late 1990s where you would have had a short spell in the right seat and been upgraded quickly when they ramped up after Ansett collapsed.
Joining then would have you in Brisbane by now as a B737 Captain in your early 40s enjoying life. Joining now could easily mean a career in the right seat, unless a retirement bulge comes up which is possible if there was a large number around the same age when they joined in the early 2000s.
Does anyone in Virgin have a idea of retirement numbers in the next ten to fifteen years ?
Yep. Timing is everything...
Even if you joined in the mid 2000's you'd be right. Most are 737 CPT's now that I knew.
Can anyone in VA actually give a half reasonable estimate for time to Command of 737? Typical progress in years and aircraft type?