Hiring: Race, Gender, Qualifications.
 

In the interest of public safety. What is the best pilot hiring practice, hiring based on credentials or affirmative action?

Flamebait troll.

Definitely the former. Affirmative action is nothing but discrimination, and discrimination is never a good thing.

How is highlighting her gender relevant to the facts of Alaska? Would it have been better if I simply pointed to a number of her male peers who have left, and are leaving, with similar seniority having made the same analysis and decision? There's a reason why Alaska is bleeding talent when they could be a great place for folks tied to the Pacific NW.

Since we're on the subject, getting a job at a major isn't a guaranteed thing by any stretch. There are a whole list of things that one can do to improve their odds, but ultimately there's alot of luck involved.

If you want to assume that the she I mentioned just magically got to the Eskimo and was called the next day by the Widget just because of her gender, you're sorely mistaken. It took her ten years to get out of ExpressJet, over eight as an FO, all the while doing union work, mentoring, volunteer work, job fairs, etc. The only reason she got her app pulled by Alaska was because she took a gamble and went to NGPA when no one else dared. A couple years later, it took guts for her to then critically analyze the faults of her hometown airline, realize that she was limiting herself, and work hard to prep for Delta. You think she got her app pulled just because she was a she? Through pure luck she was fast enough to get a slot for their in house hiring event. She got that job on hard work and her merits as an aviator, plain and simple. Know what else? I can think of a whole lot of dudes with similar stories.

Regardless of what some may think, getting the call doesn't magically occur because of an EEOC trait, and it's not just going to fall in your lap because the majors need bodies. It is competitive, and it takes alot of things lining up. I'm all for people getting out of here, but daggone it, run the numbers on heading to places that aren't necessarily the end goal.

We all know that being a lady pilot is a hugely sought after bullet point on the resume at many airlines. The experience of those pilots tends not to be representative of the experience for those who are less diverse. When you pretend not to know this, or that it isn’t true, some will assume you’re BS.

I heard point blank from one of this companies top 5 people that you won't see many women pilots here because AA scoops them all up. This was in front of about 20 people. It absolutely happens and anyone telling you otherwise is lying to themselves. Does this mean every women gets picked quickly or that every women used this to get them ahead, no not at all. There are some amazing people of all walks of life in this industry and I wouldn't for a second assume anything about any of them nor would I judge their ability to do a job because of it. It does happen though.

This is a myth, especially at my company.

All we ask is you guys remember there are many well-qualified female pilots out there who take pride in their jobs and fly their ships very well, probably with way more experience than you have.

For those of you *****ing about why you haven’t gotten the major airline call yet, my questions for you are simple: what are YOU doing to make yourself more competitive and marketable so YOU stand out and make the major airline cut? Are you seeking leadership roles in your company, volunteering, mentoring, running a business/non-profit, going to job fairs, or going to school again? Or, like most pilots I know who expect a top-tier major airline career to appear magically in front of them, did you spend the past ten years watching sports, fishing, drinking beer, or otherwise wasting your time?

The female pilots in my sphere did a lot of extra things to get hired at major airlines, and their overall skills and qualifications grew in tandem. Not only did most have a lot of flight hours, they volunteered for ALPA, participated in special company projects, and worked for both profit and non-profit organizations to help their communities.

We used our time wisely because we knew what it took to get hired at our majors. We did the things we needed to do to earn our jobs. We knew by putting in the work, we would get that seniority number first. Putting in the work, making a REAL effort, is what got us the job and that matters more than gender, race, etc.

Female airline pilots are very aware of these debates regarding gender and how we remain a convenient scapegoat for male pilots who are too mediocre or too lazy to be hired by a major. Did you know that at the big three major airlines in the U.S., less than 10% of pilots are women? I and my other female pilot colleagues just laugh, roll our eyes, and dismiss you because you blame such a small minority on your lack of success. Where is your outrage toward the 90% of male and other minority pilots who “stole” your job? If 90% of all pilots hired were better than you, the statistics would say it’s your own fault, not a woman’s.

Get your butt off the couch and out of the bar and do something tangible to consistently improve yourself beyond regular line flying, and remember to always keep learning. Then, just maybe, you’ll get the call.

Saying “no female pilot benefited from their minority status” is just as dishonest as saying “every female pilot benefited from their minority status.”

"whinning" wow that's pretty arrogant!




"QUOTE=TJBrass;2835411]Yet, despite all the whining out on the line about "reverse discrimination", 90% of new hires are male.[/QUOTE]

I never wrote “no female pilot benefited from their minority status.”

This is what you wrote:

“The experience of those [female] pilots tends not to be representative of the experience for those who are less diverse.”

According to Webster’s dictionary, the word “tend” means “regularly or frequently behave in a particular way or have a certain characteristic.”

I am challenging you by saying that, at the majors at least, your statement is false. It appears you assume that “those” (your word) female pilots “tend” (again, your word) to lack overall and general experience compared to the general pilot population, the “less diverse” pilots. Your comment is a stereotype, plain and simple, and it is incorrect.