Blanket statement, not true.

My last carrier's contractual provision was 30 days from your last day on property.

Law firms do. Just like airlines you can move up the chain to a higher paying firm when you build experience, however when your new, your new. It takes time to become partner. Unlike airlines which it only takes time, no matter how stupid you are, a law firm will not make you partner if your a dope. Also ask a Doctor about how it is when they do their residency at a hospital, then make Doctor, what would happen if they went somewhere else without getting the require experience to move up a position.

You want to make lateral moves that is what happens.

Not true, once you are a Dr., you are a Dr. You can go anywhere and negotiate your pay/benfits. Same with your lawyer example, don't necessarily have to make partner to make it big. Again, the lawyer takes his/her years of experience to the next gig to start pay and benefits. Also too accrue a$$ kissing for partnership.

What airplane were you training for, was it 91 or 135, and did you complete training? I sure hope so...if you were at a 142 facility that training was paid for by then!

Live by seniority system, die by seniority system.

The reason we have to start over at the beginning when changing jobs is because we pilots (yes, us) don't want a new guy coming in experienced or not and taking a spot that we think we should get simply out of longevity. We are the very people who would raise the roof if it were based on merit.

This "start over" happens way too often. Think, Eastern, Braniff, People's Express, Western, etc. More recently, Atlantic Coast/Independance Air, Comair, TWA. Other historians will come up with others. Do the experienced Check Airmen/Instructors/Captains/First Officers, not have any value over the new hire? Experience that is rewarded in any other profession.

To the original poster. You ever talked to anyone that worked ina corporate job? In my experience, you dont know until about 6-12 months if you made the right choice. Mine worked out after that long but after 2.5 layoff, sell jet. Im now close to furlough at "fill in the blank regional piece of .... Airline" but, to jump to a corporate thing without knowing and then asking for our job back in regional world was DUMB. Sorry guy.

Well Eagle mgt. will def now know who this guy is, esp the union.

Sure they do - just not in the sense of portable seniority and longevity.

If you had been somewhere 5 years and were on the cusp of upgrade, how would you feel if a captain from an airline that went bankrupt and shut its doors got hired and was slotted above you, in "your" captain seat?

Yeah, I'm sure your thoughts would be altruistic...

Experience gets "rewarded" in other segments of aviation...just not the airline segment of aviation where a local seniority system (vs. a national seniority system, which won't ever happen) is firmly entrenched.

There are pros and cons of both merit and seniority-based promotions...can't have the benefits without the risks.