Originally Posted by
pagey
Those "undesirables" you mentioned are basically where major airline pilots are bred.
If there is a shortage at that level eventually there must be a shortage at the next.
It won't be 2015 but once all the hirable regional pilots are gone where does the next batch of major pilots come from in say 2025?
Generally speaking right now legacy jobs are coming from mil and regionals. For the most part they want 121 experience. Your run of the mill career CFI or 135 guy flying a CJ3, or a C90, or a pilatus doesn't really get looked at without a strong connection inside, a racial card, or maybe an internship. Of course there are exceptions to this rule but 9 out of 10 are mil/regional.
As the regionals are depleted and do not get backfilled those pilots(who are perfectly capable of doing the job) will now have a shot that they would never have had in 2005.
We will probably never see a legacy airline start canceling flights or parking acft because they cannot put bodies in the seats but this "shortage" will open doors for many that were previously locked tight.
Again, there will be no SHORTAGE of Legacy candidates/resumes based on
1. Umpteen number of existing regional companies, now, all with experienced dudes ready to move to legacies.
2. PLENTY of military guys, post-two wars, with masters+ degrees, international flight time, often in heavy C-17/KC-10/etc equipment, to include fighter guys who always get looked at.
I will also throw an ADDITIONAL item into this: With the recent "support our troops" and "support our returning veterans" initiatives in place, either officially or practiced unofficially, it is VERY LIKELY that the regional candidates will ONLY be looked at when the military pool is dry/reduced.