Originally Posted by
Ground Effect
In the most recent realignment it was stated they may need to award Captain positions to new hires. This is because not all FO's eligible to bid captain have shown an interest. If all eligible FO's bid then it most likely won't happen until the next realignment/vacancy. There has been no mention of street captains, only rumors. Even though awarding it to new hires is very close.
That's because our two most senior bases have been shrinking away, not affording these FO's an opportunity to upgrade in base and the 4th stripe isn't worth the hassle of commuting to New York for many of them. Reverse that shrinking and I'd bet you'd have no trouble with upgrades.