Originally Posted by
TED74
Honest question: It's great for newbies who want to upgrade to those early-year left seats, but why are those left seats so undesirable that thousands of pilots above them didn't bid them? There's definitely a wow factor on the opportunity, but also a wow factor that something must really stink (apparently worse than when you guys were hired) for most of those eligible for such upgrades to pass on them.
Another possibility is inertia. This is the first time in a LONG time where there has been real (semi-stable) upward movement. This due to several factors: the beginning of the retirement wave, four years of hiring and some growth of the seniority list.
Imagine having been in a specific position, bidding the same way for the last 7-10 years. You know what to expect each month, you know what your paycheck is going to be, you know the airplane and the people with whom you will most likely fly (seniority range) and you've figured out all the tricks to maximize your pay/QOL (again, based on where you sit 'on the list').
Once the movement starts, many pilots will say 'I'm keeping what I know and will see how the chips fall before I put in my new bid'. Now that the upward movement appears to be stable and sustainable (at least for the near future), I suspect that we'll see upgrades going more senior. We, in general, don't want to give up what we know until we know the new seat will be an improvement.