Originally Posted by
reelbigchair
In the hopes of reaching a compromise between the traditionals, lifers, and those already senior at mainline. Would anyone have trouble with this concept. I think it could be palatable for just about everyone. This assumes that the RJ flying was brought back onto property via an aquisition. What if mainline brought on all the regional pilots to the mainline certificate carrying all their seniority and longevity with them, but only while on the RJ. Should a lifer at the regional decide to bid over to the main part of the airline, they would then revert to their DOH at the mainline company. In reverse, should a mainline pilot desire to move back into the regional seat for any reason, they would revert to a DOH of when the regional was aquired. It maintains everyone's QOL, and pay, while also providing RJ guys with all the benefits of gaining a mainline job earlier in their career. And it would provide furlough protection for the junior folks at mainline. Call me a dreamer, but with the RJ industry consolidating, there won't be nearly as many pilot groups to deal with, and mainline could potentially recapture all the RJ's by purchasing only a few airlines.
As a very junior mainline guy this totally screws me, so I say absolutely not. In your theoretical integration are you willing to recognize all my previous 121 regional time? How about the military time I have for experience. Better yet why don't we go all the way back to the date we were issued our original commercial ticket as a baseline for determining seniority, this is equally as absurd as having regional pilots leapfrog me with seniority when they weren't willing to take the risk and move to a major during the last hiring opportunity.
If the RJ's are brought back they will no longer be referred to as regional jets. They will be referred to as mainline jets, flown by mainline pilots on the mainline seniority list.