Originally Posted by
Swedish Blender
AA hiring from Eagle really has nothing to do with hatred. That is simply an argument for the pilot groups. The bean counters on the other hand have the say. Look at it this way: AMR owns AA and Eagle. If AA hires an Eagle captain, that equals three training events for the company. One at AA, one upgrade to captain at Eagle, and one new hire at Eagle. If AA hires off the street, that equals one training event for the company.
I've heard this argument so many times before, but it is a fallicy.
A Regional pilot who is interested and qualified to join a major will go to any major with openings. He begin at the bottom of the pay scale. There is no economic reason for him to go to his regional's parent company - only loyalty. If AA hires an XJT guy then XJT must pay for 2 training events today. But when SWA hires the bypassed AE guy then AE has to pick up the slack. Not taking mainline new hires from your wholly owned regionals hurts the company by causing decreased morale and therefore performance. Training costs
will even out. AMR can pay for three training events and improve morale, or pay for three training events and damage morale. But they're going to pay for three training events, whether the bean counters realize it or not.