A possible solution?
02-12-2026 | 08:42 AM
#91
Line Holder
Joined: Mar 2022
Posts: 302
Likes: 213
02-12-2026 | 08:49 AM
#93
On Reserve
Joined: Jun 2019
Posts: 108
Likes: 8
I think this is a big factor and one that the get rid of AA people don’t take into enough account. Instead of blaming fellow pilots we need to accept that the company is fully responsible for the mess we are in and the ball is in their court to fix it
02-12-2026 | 09:26 AM
#94
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 2,563
Likes: 107
From: Road construction signholder
Still, I've always felt we are better, and need to be better than the company side of this arrangement.
02-12-2026 | 09:30 AM
#95
Leaves Biscoff crumbs
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 3,265
Likes: 941
From: Blue Juice Taste Tester
You could be senior today. It’s not some distant promise — it’s the current reality for much of the pilot group.
You voluntarily chose to upgrade with only a couple years on property, at a legacy carrier. While that’s a fantastic opportunity that most will never have, it’s also a decision that virtually guarantees low relative seniority for an extended time. The FO seat that you vacated is likely already considered quite “senior”.
Nobody is going to take pity on you and help you change the rules after you freely chose to give up seniority. There’s a good reason why others haven’t made the same choice.
You voluntarily chose to upgrade with only a couple years on property, at a legacy carrier. While that’s a fantastic opportunity that most will never have, it’s also a decision that virtually guarantees low relative seniority for an extended time. The FO seat that you vacated is likely already considered quite “senior”.
Nobody is going to take pity on you and help you change the rules after you freely chose to give up seniority. There’s a good reason why others haven’t made the same choice.
02-12-2026 | 09:40 AM
#97
Leaves Biscoff crumbs
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 3,265
Likes: 941
From: Blue Juice Taste Tester
02-12-2026 | 09:42 AM
#98
Line Holder
Joined: Mar 2022
Posts: 302
Likes: 213
Let's say in 2025 every pilot took extensions, less people called out sick, no one dropped trips, everyone stayed in the jet to thank customers and push wheelchairs, no one had auto-accepts in and coverage always finished instantly. Would the company still be hiring 700-1000+ pilots this year? Or would they say: wow look at our pilot performance, we can run even hotter and leaner next year! No need to hire...
That's why you fly the contract and nothing more. They had over twice the schedulers and individual RCOS batches 10 years ago, but chose this route instead to squeeze more juice.
02-12-2026 | 09:46 AM
#99
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Jul 2022
Posts: 2,294
Likes: 1,203
Dude, stop trying to attack me via my upgrade. It doesn't make anything I said less true. I'm not throwing a pity party for myself. I'm highlighting the truth: As much as we wanna blame the company for this, you can't ignore the fact that no amount of hired schedulers will fix the bottleneck pilots are creating via slip usage. If you bought into the narrative that seniority entitles a few to implode the coverage ladder for the rest, them let's agree to disagree.
The “slip bottleneck” was 100% created by management via lousy decision making. Pilots of ALL seniority ranges have blanket slips in with AA on. As much as you want to believe the myth that 23M7 payments are only going to the top of the seniority list, it is simply not true. Trying to blame management’s issues on senior pilots is delusional.
Your upgrade is relevant to the discussion because you continually act as if the seniority system is stacked against you, through no fault of your own. We’re not going to change longstanding industry practice to suit your personal choices.
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