Of the majors out there (legacy, LLC, etc.) which ones has the quickest upgrades?
If mergers due happen, how will the mergers affect the upgrade?

Examples welcome.

 

No one can accurately answer that at this point. Wait a year after the merge is a done deal and then you'll know.

 

I think CAL had some captains as quick as 2 or 3 years before Age 65 took affect

 

Yea, CAL has some 2.5 to 3 year Captains, but I don't think anyone lost their CA seat due to age 65. Mergers can change that, but it depends on how they merge.

 

Don't know if you consider them major but EOS and Skybus are less than 1 year

 

EOS ans SB are not Majors for all that I know. How about JB AT SW DL NWA

 

JB has already hired their last A320 captain a long time ago. Unless they stop selling them and actually ordering more, you can probably upgrade there in 7 years.

SWA will take forever 15 years or so.

Don't know about the other ones

 

JB 3 years 9 months 2 days
SW 7 years 4 months 4 days
DL 10 years 8 months 24 days
NWA 9 years 5 months 17 days

All changes in the economy and mergers and major world events have been factored in.

 

Dude, the idea that you can predict an upgrade time is ludicrous. If you go into this business with any so-called “career expectation, “ then you are nuts. It’s impossible to tell. Any scenario you can think of will totally shift the numbers you are “planning” on. Examples:

Say the economy turns south, and we lose one or two of the legacy carriers. That would be monumentally bad for the folks at that carrier, and they would have NO upgrade. Everyone else would benefit as they grow into the void as the economy turns around. Their upgrade time would be shortened considerably.

Say congress allows foreign carriers to fly point to point. That would likely slow down everybody’s upgrade.

Say we have a merger-mania and several of the big boys merge, and then shrink their capacity. Longer upgrades and furloughs. Or the new company would be stronger and grow quickly: Shorter upgrades.

Say Osama gets his hands on a nuke and uses it. Long, long upgrades (assuming you aren’t vaporized on final to JFK)

Say another SARS-like epidemic shuts down international traffic. Long upgrades at those carriers. Then we lose a legacy carrier to bankruptcy because all their profitable routes are flying empty. Shorter upgrades for everyone else? Who knows.

What if all the 777’s are permanently/long-term grounded? Longer upgrade at those carriers.

Suppose the economy turns around, oil drops to $35 and we all grow like gang-busters. Short upgrades

Say age 65 turns to age 70? Say the medical requirements then get really, really tight and lots of folks are forced to retire medically.

You just can’t predict the future. You’ll go crazy trying.

 

Have you been asleep at the wheel???? That's been happening for the past few years. No "saying" about it. The age 65 debacle just made the problem worse in my opinion...........