It really only makes sense if you put yourself in their shoes. Imagine this scenario:

You are hired at XJT. Within 3 months either 9/11 happens or the historical downturn of 2007. Both, by the way, 1 in 100 events that happen within a few years of each other. After each of these events all airlines contracted. Hiring stopped at all levels. To make matters worse for you, XJT gets bought by SkyWest and they now start cannibalizing your company. You go from 4,000 pilots down to 1,400. You are not going anywhere on the seniority list. There are quarters where you even go backwards in seniority.

Now fast forward a little bit. The airline industry finally turns around and you, the 15-20 year vet, are just salivating because it’s finally “your turn.” (may even feel a little entitled) United buys XJT and you and all your peeps are feeling very optimistic about “flowing” right over to United via this CPP program. It sounds great. United pledges that they will take 25% of their new hire classes from XJT. This is practically a guarantee!! You are accepted into the program only to be turned down during final review of your employment file. Why does this happen? No one really knows. Turns out this CPP thing is a big joke.

It’s very easy to understand the frustration. Now that you are good and ticked off, everything about this place makes you angry. Your attitude is understandably not very good. So it’s all XJTs fault. Combine that with summer flying season and everyone getting min days off, last minute schedule changes, etc (which does suck) and you are foaming at the mouth and your employer becomes your enemy. Logical? Not really. But you are a product of your environment.

But you do have 20 years of seniority. You are supposed to have the easy job. You live in base, where you have lived for a long time. Your family is here. You should get the best schedule. Other regionals are starting to pay better. You are at least due a raise. Would it make more sense to go to Spirit or Frontier? Heck no!! You are at the top of the food chain at this “dumpster fire!”

So you stay, but you don’t like it. Then this mentality develops that we must communicate to these potential new hires just how bad things are! If they keep showing up we will never get a new contract!!

So is this the place for you? What does it have to offer? You can be out flying and building time as fast or faster here as any other regional airline. You can also hold almost any base you want immediately or within a very short time frame.

When the flying slows down and the staff is adequate, things will get better for those who are unhappy. Once enough new hires make it through training that you can’t just have any base you want and there are adequate reserves the crazy schedules and min days off will get much better.