Originally Posted by
SSlow
Yes, highly qualified applicants do go to AA, but that still doesn't change the fact that the barrier to entry at AA has in recent years been lower than the other legacies. I mean come on man, Mesa had a junior captain taxi into a 757 and cause seven figures worth of damage. During the FAA audit it was found that he wasn't even qualified to be a captain to begin with, and even with all of that the guy quit and still managed to get hired at PSA with the flow thru.
Also, their pilot group is severely disfunctional.
As far as AA pilots coming to Spirit? Of course not, but that doesn't mean AA is head and shoulders above everyone else.
Not trying to start a fight, but I know quite a few south florida based pilots who during this last hiring boom chose to commute to DL/UA over driving to AA in Miami.
The barrier to entry at all legacies has been lowered in recent years, that isn't unique to AA. I personally know of one particular DAL pilot that was formerly here and has no business being in the cockpit of any airliner, let alone the widebody captain position he currently holds. Do we need to rehash UA's hiring goals and standards? How's that working out lately? The dysfunction you speak of at AA is rapidly going away as new blood comes in and the boomers retire.
...and if somebody that lives in MIA wants to commute for the rest of their careers, that's their choice. I personally think its idiotic. You can't put a price on the ability to drive to work. The difference between the legacy carriers isn't that drastic when calculating commute vs. drive.