Originally Posted by Omnipilot

NightIP,

I understand what you are saying, and understand that the other carriers have seniority based upgrades with good safety records.

But, you must consider one fact. Once Omni goes to a seniority based upgrade they will no longer be able to hire anyone with low time or without experience in large airplanes, because the upgrade time is so short. Seniority would put a newhire in the left seat of a heavy airplane flying all over the planet in as little as a year, possibly less with current attrition. If that is the case, then the only people Omni would be able to hire safely will be pilots with a great deal of heavy jet time. Not more will RJ pilots or low-time pilots be able to get hired, as they would never be ready for the left seat of a heavy airplane in such a short time.

As it stands now, we can hire them, and upgrade them when they are ready. If you force straight seniority upgrades, we'd have to turn away all of the low-time and almost all of the RJ pilots who might otherwise get hired.

And before someone comments about the fantastic skill level of RJ pilots, I agree that commuter pilots might have good stick-and-rudder skills. I too was most skilled at flying when I was at the commuters years ago. But that does not prepare you in any way for the left seat of a heavy jet. Only sitting in the FO seat of a heavy jet for a few years can offer the needed experience.