Originally Posted by calpilot69

I didn't see any luggage thrown in, but kind of sad that UAL Captain is being relegated to the the most junior LCC typed pilot each week so we can gain Delta parity on pay rates.

Originally Posted by calpilot69

I didn't see any luggage thrown in, but kind of sad that UAL Captain is being relegated to the the most junior LCC typed pilot each week so we can gain Delta parity on pay rates.

Originally Posted by hummingbear

First off, responding to a PR mess is “we fly, they manage”. Deciding whether you personally are going to sign your name to a contract that allows forced street captains is very much in your control.

We just had a relatively experienced crew almost turn a 777 into a submarine. This job is a lot more than just flipping switches & the attitude that anyone w/ a wet ATP can do it is reckless, in my opinion. It’s very possible that NBCA would go junior in new hire classes for the same reasons WBFO often does. So while yes, we do have some very experienced new hires, our age-based seniority system would more likely push those seats onto the youngest, and therefore often least experienced in each class.

We’re currently fighting the FAA on the safety of SkyWest trying to use 135 mins on certain city pairs, & yet we’re somehow ok with forcing a probationary pilot into a command position who didn’t explicitly ask for the responsibility? Explain that logic to me.

As early as next year, we could have crews with less than 4K hours, 8 months on property, & 50 years of age between the two of them flying into BOG in bad weather at night. I wouldn’t want my family on that plane & I don’t particularly want anyone else’s. And if- heaven forbid- that flight does become the worst case scenario, I doubt the fact that the CA had 100 hours of IOE will provide much reassurance to the flying public or protect us from the doo-do storm to follow; not to mention the far graver human tragedy. There are just so many better ways to address this issue it really surprises me we’re even considering this one.

Originally Posted by yesto67

if only some of those senior, sleeping for $ bunkies complaining about new hire CAs would upgrade, I’m sure their superior airmanship and leadership would solve the CA vacancy problem in no time, and save us all.

if you don’t want new hires as CAs, upgrade your arse.

Originally Posted by ugleeual

honestly… the new hires I’ve been flying with do a better job than the 20+ year FOs senior enough to hold Captain.

Originally Posted by Longhornmaniac8

Bingo. There will be some in the class who don't have the luxury of being able to turn it down. We need to be realistic about the makeup of our classes going forward. If the current hiring trends are any indication, it will be a lot of LCC folks who jumped from right seat to right seat, military guys with no 121 experience, and the majority of the remainder will be regional guys. Granted, most of the regional folks, but not all by any means, will have been in the left seat.

The overwhelming majority of guys will either A) have the good sense to know they're not immediately ready for the left seat at United as a new hire, and/or B) realize that their QOL will be terrible for the entire 2 years they're forced to be in the left seat. Which means the majority of these slots will fall to the youngest guys in the class. While age is not perfectly correlated with experience, I'd hazard that the majority of older folks will have more meaningful experience that the majority of younger folks. Again, I recognize that isn't universally true (there have been 8 Balls that were LCAs), but on the average it probably is more true than not.

The key is exactly as you described it, it should be a choice, not a requirement for employment.

Originally Posted by ugleeual

honestly… the new hires I’ve been flying with do a better job than the 20+ year FOs senior enough to hold Captain.

Originally Posted by calpilot69

this isn't my reality, I"m seeing stuff from new hires I've never seen before every 2-3 weeks.

Originally Posted by Grumble

Any mil pilot, specifically one whose been a successful AC and traveled the globe under TACC control is more than equipped to be a NB CA under the UAL system. It’ll be the most reliable equipment, with the most support they’ve ever experienced. They’ll be just fine.

Pretty sure any regional pilot with more than a few months CA experience is also more than qualified.