Originally Posted by
NWA320pilot
Your method is still random....... If you really support class seniority based on experience then age has nothing to do with it. In my career I have flown with young bucks that have a lot more time/experience than some older folks. To go down your path Delta would need to utilize some form of metric based on flight time/experience to assign class seniority.
It's not my method, it's the method used effectively elsewhere. It's easy, since age is black and white...so no algorithm to debate over what experience (life, total, multi, jet, civ, mil, number of divorces, years driven with or without DUIs, number/frequency/severity of STDs, the list is infinite) does or doesn't affect Captainhood. You misunderstand the concept of randomness...which the SSN method is (or nearly so). I just offered that there is at least SOME correlation to relevant experience (correlation>0) using age, and already acknowledged the deviations from the mean like those for which you have personal anecdotes.
If you try and write an experience algorithm to sort a class by, you'll have a thousand pages of debate...way more than these few entries about age vs SSN and fewer people will be content than are right now.