I really don't care what some folks in the forum think, however I reserve the right to defend myself. I got my commercial in 2004, my CFI in 2005, been flying since 2002. When I got my 121 gig I had over 1,000 hours in 2006.

At the time you could say, "I paid my dues" as I was one of the most experienced pilots in my 121 new-hire class. In fact, there was only one other guy who had more time than me.

If I applied today with 1,000 hours like I had then, I would be highly doubtful about getting a job. Now I hear guys acting like they "deserve it" with that amount of flight time because they "paid their dues" as a CFI/135 contract pilot.

All I am saying is that in the past when flying jobs were scarce and pilots were on furlough (e.g. 2001), the higher time guys got the phone calls. I understand this industry is a lot different these days, but it's almost like flipping a seniority list upside down. It goes against the norm of airline hiring practices, that's all.