Originally Posted by
Steve McCroskey
I don't think getting rid of the seniority system is a great idea for current regionals. This industry is based on the seniority system and would require a complete and chaotic nightmare to implement.
Yes it would be...but that's the point. The current system is a nightmare and it's killing the profession. You really can't make things worse.
But to make it work it would take an act of Congress because every regional would have to do it at the same time. Management would resist because they need seniority to keep labor costs down. ALPA would resist because they need seniority to control the pay scales at the very top of the lists.
It would require a concerted effort from the majority of regional pilots to take control of the unions away from mainline and management but regional pilots are afraid to upset the very people keeping their pay down because they think it may hurt their chances of being hired by a major down the road.
The whole system is so well implemented to keep pilots and labor under tight control it's very difficult to break. But until pilots can even recognize why it's a problem it's impossible to break.
Originally Posted by
Steve McCroskey
I would suggest a existing regional starting a separate company and giving it a shot. I just don't think it is going to work due to the fact that nearly everyone that makes it through new hire is completely qualified to safely fly the plane s/he is qualified in. Proficiency is a whole new story that honestly cannot be evaluated well.
How would you rate pilots? Who has the best PA announcement and smile? Or who brown nosed the "grader" the most? I could honestly see that being the single most corrupt system the industry has ever seen.
The existing seniority system is the single most corrupt system ever.
This is the biggest myth ever. It's the myth ALPA spreads to keep control. Pilots are professionals and will always try to do a good job...it's in our nature. With a few exceptions that probably shouldn't be here anyway.
Proficiency can easily be measured. Foreign airlines do it. In Asia the instructors and check airmen answer to the regulating authorities over their own company. There are eight stages of first officer rankings. First Officers must progress through those levels in a systematic order based on experience and a series of proficiency tests to advance all the way to captain. A board of experienced instructors meets regularly and goes over the ranks one by one and decides who advances. The system is very unbiased and works well. There are no career "resets" due to changes in jobs and layoffs. There are no entitlement upgrades for low time first officers while high time captains sit right seat. Proficiency is measured objectively using computer analysis of flying accuracy. Other factors such as showing up to work on time and not getting dinged for other bad behavior count. It's not brown nosing it's called accountability.
Originally Posted by
Steve McCroskey
Honestly, regional pilots are mainline pilots and the seniority system is the best way to provide order and prevent people abusing a merit based system.
Seniority is abused with entitlement upgrades and transitions. Merit based systems as I described above are far more objective and will put the best pilots in the left seat with the best pay.
The pilots who benefit the most from seniority are bad pilots or those that got lucky with timing.
The rest of what you described Steve seems to be either a national seniority list or integrating the seniority lists of regionals with mainlines. That would just give you more of the same.
In order to recognize the problem you have to understand that management uses seniority and regionals as a B scale for the majors with the full cooperation and blessing from the mainline unions. The mainline controls the regionals for their own purpose. Without seniority the whole thing would be impossible. You can't fix the system for pilots without eliminating seniority...there is no way around it.