Originally Posted by
ZebraSpots
Not really. The wait has been a long time for some pilots to upgrade… but ask TWA, US Air and Pan Am pilots how long they waited to upgrade at some points of their careers through various mergers and downturns.
20 years was nothing for those airlines; waiting as Second Officers…. First Officers.
How long did they keep their upgrade at those airlines before being downgraded back to FO? It happens so often at some airlines that their Union sought to get language in the contact to allow downgraded Captains the ability to wear three stripe epaulets with four stripe jackets.
Unpredictable? What’s unpredictable is how long a pilot has actually stayed a captain at the airlines once finally upgrading. NetJets Captains stay NetJets Captains.
No downgrades. Ever.
What’s predictable is the continued downward spiral 121 continues along as a regressive track since the destabilization of Deregulation.
Captains didn't get downgraded at NJA, but NJA furloughed the highest percentage of pilots out of anyone, including the airlines in 2008. Let's not pretend that NJA is invincible.
Everyone that was hired in 2015 was promised mass growth and a huge reduction of upgrade times. Fast forward to 2022 (just about) and upgrade times are still sitting about thee 10 year mark. The few from my new hire class that stayed, are still looking at anther 2-3 years to upgrade. It is what it is but I absolutely remember hearing the same song and dance about how "now is the time" and "you are in front of the wave" etc etc. Major airlines don't pull that stuff.
You speak about an airline industry that doesn't exist anymore. Will the industry see downgrades and furloughs during rough times? Probably, but a "continued downward spiral" of the airline industry isn't happening, no matter how much the furloughed airline pilots of yesteryear who found themselves at NJA want it to happen. '
NJA is a great place for the right person, but the need to crap on the airline industry to justify NJA is silly.