Originally Posted by
GoCats67
I agree that there would be 1400 ish pilots looking for work at this point, but they were not the one you referenced. As it turns out airplane orders made in 06-07 don't make pilot jobs in 2015. What makes pilot jobs is having routes for airplanes to fly on! The shift in 737 metal from legacy CAL routes to legacy UAL routes has far outweighed the shift of legacy UAL metal to legacy CAL routes.
My ultimate hope is that we have enough growth for every pilot (not just the IAH ones) to get the bid they want and the schedule they want. Hopefully the theoretical benefits of the long term value of this merger will actually be delivered to those of us that should benefit (not just the short term financial benefits management has taken for themselves)
I agree that I hope there is enough growth both organically and due to retirements to make everyone happy.
However, I disagree with your assertion regarding routes. It's a two way shift. Pre-merger UAL and CAL only had 9 routes that over-lapped. All 9 routes were retained and have been retained. The shift is two ways. While the 737 is contracting in some bases and on some routes, the airbus has jumped in and filled that void. I see a net gain in overall pilot positions in CAL bases. Not looking at metal at all, just looking at bodies. I honestly don't care what metal I fly, just as long as I have an airplane that suits the family's schedule.
The benefits of the merger will only be realized when all of the work groups get contracts. I find it absolutely insane that the FA contracts aren't done yet. Do you mean to tell me it's a bigger deal to pour a Coke-a-cola on one legacy carrier over another? It only takes about 2 weeks to train up a FA. We have harmonized thousands of pages of manuals and procedures and we can fly mixed crews but UAL/CAL FA's cannot? Crazy. They must have the pilots outnumbered 5 to 1, so there's some big money to save there if they decide to figure it out.