Originally Posted by ReadOnly7

Even though you clearly missed the joke….your response is actually relevant. At UAL, you have your “wing ceremony” before you’ve actually done anything. New hires get their wings after one week of basic indoc…they’re literally passed an open book FOM quiz, and sat through four days of admin and DISC modules. CA wings are the same, you get them after you’ve done the “charm school”. Couple days of kool-aid and some more DISC modules.
The wings themselves…..are given well before there’s been any “earning” of them. Having said that…you earn all that stuff in the weeks to follow, or you never get to use them. But the wing thing is just a photo-op and a chance to let your loved ones celebrate you a little.