Originally Posted by fecav8r

Let me take these one at a time...
1. I agree and the LCA's and Captains do have more bearing on the process. Problem is by the time you're a Captain, most of the guys you know are already hired at other airlines, or are dead. We get very few recs from Captains any more. Most come from the new hires who are coming from the Airline pilot farms, ie the military, the regionals, or corporate.
2. We don't really have mass sponsors. We have mass recs. Only can sponsor one guy at a time. When your guy gets hired/rejected, you can have another one. Problem again is most guys who came here are from places where there are large numbers of guys who want to get hired here so they have many "number 1" candidates.
3. I can see your point about hiring current airline pilots, but I just have a basic disagreement with giving a guy a second chance at a major airline career before we give the guys who have been working their asses off in the puppy mills out there their first opportunity. And why is a guy who flew right seat in the 75/76 more qualified than a guy who has been flying Captain on an RJ for the past 6 or 7 years in and out of ORD, ATL, DFW, or the guy who has been flying a C-17/C-5/ C130 in and out of the desert for the past 6 or 7 years. Because we aren't really getting the Captains at these other airlines. We're getting the FO's.
4. I think if you look at the diversity of the classes we've had, you'd be amazed at how widespread the new classes are. Don't know why they stopped putting the info on the website. I think one thing the military has going for it is the network they have set up. And I really like talking to the guys face to face. There have been a few I knew right off I didn't feel comfortable with. I do agree with you that you can tell a lot about a guy if you've lived with him, drank with him, been bailed out of jail with him( time for another post). But this is a flying job and I want to know how the guy is in an airplane. Can I fly a 7 day domestic trip with him without wanting to hide every time I see him in the lobby. Can I fly a 12 day Int'l trip with him and not want to kill him when I'm done. And I don't think you really know that until you've spent some time on the road with him.