Originally Posted by
Aquaticus
I think it has more to do with timing than bases. I believe (i don't know andy) that he must have upgraded at the beginning of a growth wave where that growth made his holding a line rather quick. We are still growing by 180 NB in the next 3 years but I don't know if that is enough for a newhire to upgrade after 12 months and to hold a line in a year. Chainsaw math if we keep hiring 1500 a yr that newhire would have 4500 below him on the list at his 3 yr anniversary. Current reliable lineholder 73 CA is around 8500 on our list of 13000 today... a new contract, better reserve rules, 73 doing some atlantic flying + the ability to cram your schedule with 1 and 2 day domestic, or a severe lack of qualified applicants or lack of LCA's slowing hiring could turn this on a dime. It is a catch 22... if they fix the contract correctly it should incentivize the senior people to flow to where they should be but if they don't the temporary juniority of certain positions COULD continue.
Another moving part ... (I upgraded in 2018) is that we didn't have nearly the retirements when I upgraded that we do today.
If one takes upgrade at year 1, waits 5 months for his bid to be activated, then spends 5 months before completing training and IOE, a year as CA puts them close to year 3.