Originally Posted by
TimetoClimb
I know seniority is everything in this line of work, but your relative seniority is part of a continuum that is affected by the decisions of multiple airlines and is always in flux. You can't say for sure today is the best day and tomorrow will invariably be worse. In my opinion, becoming a capable, flexible and outgoing pilot is a much better use of time than attempting to read a crystal ball.
Unfortunately, your opinion is wrong. This is the airlines and seniority is the only thing that matters. You can spend your time doing whatever you want, but you will pay for it for the rest of your career if you get hired at the back end of a big hiring wave.. And you REALLY dont want to get hired 2-3 years later into this hiring cycle at the majors. That is 2,000-3,000 younger people that will be parked in front of you for the next 3+ decades. Getting the good schedules, weekends off and holidays off you will be stuck working. You think your wife and kids will care if you are a more well rounded person when you are gone every christmas and birthday? This is the reality of this industry.
For example. I had friends hired 800 numbers junior to me in a big hiring spree, only a little more than a year apart in seniority. Our last decade has been incredibly different. I bid whatever I wanted, didnt spend any time on reserve, 17- 18 days off for years. Weekends/holidays off. Upgraded nearly 4 years ahead of them. Made a lot more money while they were broke. They had years and years of reserve, horrible schedules the entire time. Worked weekends and holidays for the better part of a decade, and now they will start over way behind me at AA all over again while AA is also street hiring hundreds and hundreds of people ahead of them as well.
Get your number in line. "Then" go work on your personal stuff or marketability....