For what it is worth, this is unfortunately not an uncommon problem. I knew of a colleague that resigned his regional captain job only to see his class date at UAL cancelled. Another friend got hired at Cathay, but sat in the pool for a year and was flushed. A third left one airline for another, and six months later they merged. So all he got was a bump down the seniority list of several years. That stuff happens, but I think it's only fair to expect a minimum term of employment in an industry that expects us to give substantial notice. And I could be wrong on this, but I've been told it's illegal to be on multiple 121 rosters at the same time. In any case, it has seemed to get a fair amount of people fired. I think the upshot is that the majors are going to be in pain this time next year. How many repeatedly furloughed pilots will go back to UAL and elsewhere? Why start over anywhere? True, you pay your money and you take your chances, but there is too much bad faith. I've been asked if I'd resign seniority from the major job I'm furloughed from for another, and my answer has always been, "Only if you can guarantee that I won't be furloughed from here, and that you won't go out of business." By the way, best of luck. Hopefully anything warm and breathing will be geting hired soon.

If everyone had the chance to come back, there would be less lifers.

In this case, it has everything to do with compassion. Compassion within yourself regardless of whatever mentality you perceive the other person to have.

Like I said, I must be the very last pilot with compassion for their fellow human being. God bless!

The other line of thinking is that lifers would be encouraged to try something. If they come back, your no worse of then of they just had stayed a lifer. But if they realize that the mainline isn't that bad after all, attrition will increase. Of course there should be rules and limits in place to avoid abuse. We can never have no risk but sometimes if you think outside the cube, you can mitigate risk in a way that benefits everyone.

Not illegal, but the FAR's might prohibit it since you would have two keep two OPSPECS straight. But I don't remember ever reading that.


True. For some reason airlines want you to be in serious jeopardy when you attend their training program. After all, there's no fun in running a new hire class if you don't get to ruin one or two careers in the process.

Actually, many do exactly that.

You must mean highly skilled stuff stuff like waiting, and bus-driving, and janitorial...

I'm not an eagle pilot so I'd have no basis to grieve it if I actually cared.

I have compassion. I'm all for someone being able to come back. But at their old seniority? Not a chance in hell. This is a seniority system. That's supposed to mean something. Being able to come back at a number you gave up is a complete violation of the whole system.

They should let him come back...at the bottom of the list.

And that is having true compassion how?

One instructor tried to reassure a class upgrading from the DC-9 to the 727:
"Don't worry, guys. Think of your oral exam as the Super Bowl, and me as the Coach who will get you ready."
An old Captain replied:
"Yeah, but when a team loses the Super Bowl, it's the Coach who gets fired, not the players." :p