Originally Posted by
Sink r8
No one is targeting you, and no one expects any pilot to refuse to fly for the ME3 out of a sense of patriotism, so there doesn't need to be an explanation as to where you "went wrong", because you didn't. The guys that are saying we should ban ME3 pilots are making knee-jerk statements.
Maybe not, however it seems to be a growing consensus. Pilots that I know who have returned to the US tell me of flight deck chatter that tells of a very biased view of their time here.
To be honest with each passing day I see my odds of returning grow less and less. While this may not have been the way I planned my career, it hasn't been the worst thing that ever happened to it. I've enjoyed my time here and while it hasn't all been easy, it has definitely opened my eyes to the rest of the world.
One of the biggest things that has kept me from actively seeking employment state-side is the prospect of being on the bottom of a seniority list again. Not because I am afraid of paying dues (again) but rather that I spent a lot of time early in my career broke, homeless, and several times unemployed. None of those are things at my age I want to submit myself to again.
Can I say I support every move/decision that senior management at my airline has chosen? No, but neither can any of you. I will tell you though that I am immensely proud of the pilot group I work with, what we have been able to build here, and the professionals I have had the privilege of working with and learning from.
There are however a couple of interesting questions in this thread, that are strictly rational:
1) Should the US legacies try to hire pilots away from the ME3?
Short answer, absolutely.
Do I think I (representing a typical ME3 pilot)
deserve a legacy slot more than my regional/corporate/military brethren? No.
Do I think that flying narrow and wide body aircraft with a vastly diverse mix of pilots and flight attendants to some very challenging parts of the world (developing countries, poor support, outside union protections) that few others have the opportunity to see gives me unique experience? Bet your arse it does.
2) Should the US legacies have policies to discourage additional going to the competition?
Yes, in the form of not laying off pilots, not raiding pensions, not seeking contract concessions and not curtailing efforts to improve quality of life. That's how you keep the best and the brightest from going abroad.
If hiring based off not working for the competition was a factor, then any pilot working for a regional that stopped flying for United and instead took a contract for Delta routes should likewise be thrown out of the pool.. aren't they supporting a more direct competitor on more tangible domestic routes? What about those who work for an LCC and want to go to a Legacy.. weren't they hurting the bottom line?
As I said before that's a very slippery slope.