Originally Posted by
BoilerUP
The seniority system is what it is, we all knew what it was when we accepted employment, and it IS NOT going to change - expecting something different is tilting at windmills.
So your solution is to just roll over and take it because that's the way it is.
The seniority system isn't what created the "small jet" flying regional, mainline pilots allowing those aircraft to be outsourced in the early-mid 90s because they thought they and their newhires were too good for those "toy jets" is the cause of that.
The seniority system didn't create the regional jets, it created the regional airlines. The majors used to fly regional jets. DC-9-10, BAC-111 and Fokker 100 aircraft were no larger than today's "regional jets."
Embraer has dropped the word "regional" from it's product line now know simply as E-Jets which can be configured up to 130 seats. In fact the E-195 was designed to replace the MD-80. What's the difference between an E-190 a CRJ-1000, a Boeing 717, or an Airbus A318? Plenty of differences but not in the experience necessary to operate them or the number of passengers they carry. In fact the E-Jets are more comfortable for passengers with much wider seats in coach. What if Mesa started flying Airbus or Boeing? Scope clauses are only allowing so called "regional jets" to get bigger and bigger (remember when they were all 19 to 30 seat turboprops?) but the pay is getting less and less adjusted for inflation. I made more in my first year at a regional twenty years ago flying a 19 seater then jet first officers do today.
If you want to "transfer your skills" instead of starting at the bottom of a seniority list, go into business aviation or do expat work.
Again...a stick your head in the sand attitude. Although I agree that pilots should vote with their feet but they don't. Go to China and get paid a quarter million a year for your skill at flying a "regional" jet. Business aviation is a great alternative for an individual but the industry can't absorb enough pilots for it to matter to the industry as a whole.
There's no reason or incentive for an airline to hire pilots in at their previous airline's longevity, especially when there's plenty of RJ captains willing to take a TEMPORARY paycut to start at Year 1 pay for the substantially larger career earnings it will provide.
Exactly....you have just illustrated what I've been saying...that the system is set up to work against piloting as a profession.
I would also submit that the OP doesn't have any idea about the "pilot pushing" that can and does go on in 91 and 135 operations.
I am the OP and I am absolutely familiar with it. I've been working in almost every aspect of this business for thirty years including 91 and 135. I've caved in to pressure and done things I shouldn't have. I've also stood in the office and said no to the man's face...I've walked, I've managed, and I've learned how to be a professional and not roll over. I've seen pilots pay the ultimate price. There are other opportunities out there and we need to get over this sense of entitlement of hiding behind a seniority list. It is there because we let it be there.
If you're too afraid to stand up to an employer who asks you to do something you know is wrong...I don't care what profession you are in...you're not a professional.