Originally Posted by
tsquare
Remember this... Pan Am was the place to be in the 60s, TWA in the 70s, DAL/UAL/AMR in the 80s, No real "leader" in the 90s, and SWA had their turn in the 2000s. This decade is just getting started, and the playing field is pretty level.
Okay, minor revision to your overall point, but it hurts your credibility. I was hired at TWA in 1989. For the first 5 years, I flew 727 F/E with mostly Captains that were hired in the 1960's. I know that group well. The guys who were hired in the mid-1960's did pretty well and upgraded quickly. The guys who were hired in 1969 were furloughed several times and it took them
15-17 years (yes, you heard that right) to get off the engineer panel!
The 70's was a time of horrible stagnation at TWA. Your claim that it was "the place to be in the 70's" is not correct.