Originally Posted by
Irishblackbird
If pilot (a) is hired prior to pilot (b) who has 1000 hrs of 121, and pilot B upgrades before pilot A, did pilot A just loose senority? What happens when pilot A meets the 121 requirements and there is no upgrade available? Is pilot A pay protected? Would pilot A be laid off before pilot B if there is downsizing?
Pilot A does not lose seniority. If the upgrades were to stop for some reason, then Pilot A will remain a FO until there is an upgrade class. If there are furlough's, then the junior pilot (in this case it would be Pilot "B" who is a Captain) would be furloughed and not the more senior one.
When pilot "A" does upgrade, he/she will be able to bid ahead of pilot "B". I have heard that some people are bypassing upgrade for a few months so they can hold a line in the base of their choosing immediately as a Captain.
When upgrades do stop at an airline, there are always guys that are stuck as an FO because they bypassed an upgrade for some reason. It is unfortunate.