Originally Posted by
MtoL
As a former LCC pilot, I take your point. There have been points in history where a particular pilot may be better off at a LCC.
Fact is, those times are the exception and not the norm. Your post raised another point. NK and B6 have guys furloughed from legacy carriers. They didn’t just get up and decide to leave.
No doubt, they’ve done very well for themselves, but the fact is that almost all the movement is from LCC to a legacy.
Should LCC guys get paid legacy rates? Absolutely. But it’s going to take time, and in that time, some opt to just go to a legacy and get the money now. All things being equal, they’ll come out ahead. They’re not any better just because their airline has been around longer.
Also true. In the case of NK or JB, the near term JCBA will close the pay gap for narrowbody flying, but won't make up for widebodies (near term anyway) or the retirement wave. But that wave is just that, a wave. The best seniority list spots over the next 20 years have already been filled by youngsters at UAL/DL, and are being filled now at AA.
Like I've said before, this industry is ALWAYS changing.