Originally Posted by
AxlF16
Specifically, my problems with relative seniority is that it doesn't recognize the career expectations of UAL pilots, it doesn't recognize the distribution of positions within the seniority list (yes, we have more widebodies, which means more widebody fos), and it doesn't recognize the fact that our narrowbody fleet was shrunk beyond what is needed to operate a healthy airline. It is clear that a stand alone UAL was way too small in it's narrowbody lift and that would've been corrected (or NEVER DONE TO BEGIN WITH). Our seniority list, without the furloughee's) is a anomoly that was unsustainable and WOULD HAVE BEEN FIXED.
How was this anomaly, as you put it, to be fixed? UAL did not have a single narrowbody on order at the time of this merger.
The only "fix" that UAL had in place at the time was through alliances and outsourcing. This outsourcing was not only of RJ's but widebodies as well.
That aside, I agree with you that career expectations should be part of the equation. I believe that the UAL pilots career expectations have been enhanced in this merger. While the WB Capt seat may be further away, the route to getting there now goes through many more years of being a NB Capt rather than a WB/NB FO.
That's my opinion and I really don't have the data to back it up. Let's wait and see what the merger committees present sometime in the future.