I agree, but my point is whether you were an SO or FO on the list, the mechanics of upgrading and marching up the seniority list haven't changed much.

Here is another ray of sunshine, however that reinforces your point. We have only 119 narrow-bodies, and (for now) none on order. The 767 is the growth bird, and the 777 fleet will expand almost 50% in the next 10 years. What we DO NOT have now that we did when most of us got hired is an SO pay scale to climb up and over before getting into a right seat. Additionally, while many say we should pursue a UPS-like single pay rate, the fact is about 20% or more of our NB fleet is getting put into the 767 bidpack and paid at the higher WB rate. It is a defacto single rate for many guys (myself included) who sometimes fly the 757 but do it at WB pay.

That means most new hires make a move (in 2017) to 137/167 their second year. That 167 number is what makes FDX so lucrative for a career here. Payrate for payrate, the legacies have caught up or exceeded us on a few jets (777). Average pilot gets to a WB sooner and is on it longer at FDX, which helps the career averages.