Originally Posted by
50SeatsofGrey
What do you expect when you have virtually zero selection process for flows? Do you know how easy it is to get hired at envoy/psa/Piedmont? It's pathetic. Half of the seniority list will be made up of these guys in 10 years. It won't be pretty. You will definitely be able to see a difference between AA and DL/UA/SW where you actually have to earn it.
How hard was it for you to get hired at Air Wisconsin (according to your posts)? Did you really earn that one? Apparantly you're just another regional pilot from a different brand, so what makes you any less pathetic?
Personally, I felt pretty competitive and qualified when I "flowed" to AA over some unknown quantity street hire. Nobody gave me anything I didn't work for just as much as anyone else off the street. 5 type ratings, Check Airman, zero failures, volunteer time, years of 121 CA experience flying AA owned equipment and systems. Was hired initially as a lowly regional pilot with around 1500TT, 600 Multi, CFI,II,MEI, ATP. 3.9ish GPA. Have been a Captain on 3 different fleets. What more do you have to do to "earn" it these days?
I agree the Regional standards of hiring now are lower (across the board, certainly not just at Envoy/PSA/Piedmont) but nobody is flowing without making it though many years of check rides, 121 experience building and countless useful lessons learned along the way anyway. Flows in the future very shortly at Envoy won't be able to flow with any letters in their file, attendance or disciplinary issues etc which is a good thing for AA. Not sure about PSA and PDT. It's like a 6-10 year job interview you have to get through before you get here vs random off the street unknowns that AA has no inside knowledge of their history. AA can't ask previous employers of some random carrier the type of questions (that really need to be asked) about an employee being a good/bad employee because it's illegal. All they can do legally is verify dates of employment, position titles and PRIA records. AA can and does have the ability to see (everything) about a wholly owned pilots employment history though.
Military fighter guys with zero 121 experience, that have never even done this kind of flying are scooped up by AA with virtually no questions asked as fast as they can get them. Are they better suited for the job, did they earn it more? Highly debatable topic right there depending on which side of the fence you came from. Or how about a 10+yr regional pilot who does this same 121 job for years day in day out? Both put in the effort to get here in their own ways. It is what it is.