Originally Posted by
SEDPA
The reason for the widebody preference/bidding pattern at each legacy airline really isn't an apples to apples comparison ... at L-UAL, the pay and schedule diversity matched pretty much along the fleet type. At L-CAL, that diversity was much more homogenized, meaning that at CAL, you didn't have to be in a wide body to get near widebody pay and QOL, which wasn't as true on the L- UAL side ... That is why the CAL side doesn't buy the UAL widebody "advantage" argument, especially since the UPA will continue to homogenize the pay and QOL diversity when compared to the L-UAL pre merger contract.
Pretty much all cal merger committee talking points. However if you look at the average career progression of an airline pilot you will see a rise from the narrowbody ranks to the widebodies. Sure you can find some special 83 hire at cal flying the guppy, but on average, the more senior the pilot, the larger the plane he will fly. This holds true even at cal.
If you think our future is leading towards the homogenized cal style contract you couldn't be further from the truth. Don't kid yourself thinking this pos contract passed on it's merits. Almost every pilot I spoke with said the contract was substandard, but voted for it anyway. This trend, you so describe, has a finite life span.