Funk

I’ll grant that the CFO ought to be a pretty sharp cookie, fully capable of analyzing and weighing data to make the best possible decisions. I also grant that inadequate planning may benefit some in the pilot group with some flush paychecks.

That said, one doesn’t need to look far amongst the smartest people you know to still see dumb decisions because they hold onto preconceived notions, ignore data that is inconvenient, or just aren’t all that interested in some questions or problems. My favorite unknowable question that everyone (OK, just a lot of super opinionated keyboard ninjas) seems to know for sure that they’re right on and everyone else is wrong is whether Delta ought or ought not to have 787s in its network.

As for the green slip lottery, I would say that while everyone loves a green slip, it isn’t necessarily the best thing for the pilot group or the company. The existence of a green slip, and certainly lots of green slips, represents an opportunity cost where: 1) more pilots are not employed by the company such that a shortage exists and a green slip is necessary. 2) the system, our brand, and therefore, our profit sharing checks, or even the growth of our regular checks, all face risks when the company has to waive cash around in order to keep us from failing to safely move people around in a reliable and timely manner. Again, everyone loves getting a green slip, but it isn’t without risk or opportunity cost.

There may be other relevant considerations, but I have yet to hear of any that really answer why we shouldn’t just keep onboarding pilots at a steady clip as an inexpensive shock absorber for manning and stay ahead of the retirement waves.