Originally Posted by
Wasatch Phantom
I'm also not looking for a pi**ing contest, either and I'm glad our exchange has remained respectful. To answer your first question, yes, I am at DAL.
As far as the second question, I'm sure I wouldn't like having to interview for my same job. But I think you're mixing apples and oranges (I'll admit up-front my knowledge of regional carriers is limited). I believe a few regionals had prospective applicants interview with the associated mainline carrier (Compass and NWA comes to mind). If they passed the interview they started at Compass and had flow rights to NWA.
But I don't believe all that many pilots currently at various regional carriers interviewed with NWA or DAL. For example I'm quite certain no pilots at SkyWest had a similar interview route
So why should they get to short-circuit the hiring process at mainline? To continue with the SkyWest example, they have fee for departure contracts at several carriers; Alaska, Delta and United. So does that mean they should get to bypass the interview at any and all of the above?
Interestingly back in the late 1990's both Delta and United were hiring. One would think they'd be looking for similar pilot attributes. But talking with DAL new-hires at the time, many were turned down at United. And I understand from a very good friend at United, many of their pilots were turned down by Delta during the same time period.
I DO think the interview process is worthwhile. It's not a question of having the necessary flying skills... It's also making sure the interviewee is a good match for the corporate culture.
I ***** plenty, but I have great respect for the job Delta has done at recruiting and hiring pilots. In that light I don't want the process that has worked so well to be circumvented.
I'll also admit I am not in favor of any preferential hiring for ALPA members, and the part of our contract that stipulates 35% of newly hired pilots must come from ALPA represented regionals proves the conflict of interest that ALPA national denies so vehemently.
You do realize that for the wholly owned regionals, their HR dept is typically the mainline HR dept. For example, the past decade AA hasn't hired; but the HR dept was kept busy doing Eagle hiring. There is lots of crossover at some of the wholly owneds. Take the AA Public Relations spokesperson Andrea Huguely.... or should I say the American Eagle spokesperson Andrea Huguely.... she switches public relations titles as needed for whichever AMR subsidiary needs the spokesperson, but her ID says AA on it. Much as many of the management positions of Eagle are done by people carrying AA ID's, not Eagle ID's. To say the Eagle pilots haven't already interviewed at AMR is a joke.
I've had a few of the Eagle flow-thru's who ended up being food boy on my crew. They have proven to be extremely capable FO's, and I have no doubt they were excellent Captains at Eagle before coming here.
If I had my way, from the job performance I've seen from them; I wish they'd just assimilate the whole lot of them. The few bad apples would get found out soon enough.