Branson offers Sully a Job!

[Dan Roman]

Oh, and "He" wasn't looking over the crews of United and American on 9/11? I hate these statements.

Kind of like when someone wins a sporting event they thank God for the victory. As if he is sitting up there choosing who wins the Super Bowl or Daytona 500.
God didn't choose Dale Earnhardt to win in 1998 and he didn't kill him in 2001 either.
Fate is the Hunter

 

[Freight Dog]

Well said, our profession doesn't have the same level of "office politics" many others do. Being drinking buddies with someone won't get you an early upgrade. Can you imagine the backstabbing and screwing people over that would happen if upgrading depended on "merit".
In addition, in Freightdogs example, he is saying that Skiles should be upgraded ahead of pilots that were not faced with the same one and a million situation, even though they are just as capable of doing the same thing.

OK Dan, let's look at it from another angle. You say "merit promotion" is bad and that DATE OF HIRE is the one and only way.

What's your worth as a pilot professional? Right now, it's $169/hour or somewhere around there, right?

If Hawaiian goes by the way of Aloha.... that worth goes down to $24/hour despite your experience, at least in this country. Now, it doesn't matter what you've done in your career thus far, thanks to your seniority, your worth goes from $169/hour to $24/hour.

Here's another example... you say that FO Skiles shouldn't be upgraded ahead of peers because "others are just as capable." You said "capable" which doesn't mean as "done it." I had an in-flight problem where my FO was perfectly "capable" of handling it, instead my FO literally froze and the plane ended up being a single pilot airplane until we landed. Fact is, you'll never know how you'll handle an emergency or extreme situation until you find yourself in one and truly earn your pay.

If you do your job, you take care of your crew, you take care of your passengers and represent the best of your company, why do you feel you need seniority system to protect you? Seniority system protects the absolute lowest common denominator and it does absolutely NOTHING to promote excellence in what you do. Furthermore, it COMPLETELY negates your worth as a professional if you are one of the unlucky ones and your airline goes under.

 

[Tweaker]

How did you get the idea Dumb Pilot was talking about CX? I thought he was talking about the 2 previous airlines I worked for -- both with "good ol' boy" training departments.

The idea of upgrading on "merit" in this profession is myopic at best. We all think we're hotshots -- but we're only as "hot" as the next fickle checkairman thinks we are.

Ass-kissing, bending rules with your certificate to get the "mission accomplished," never calling in sick, never turning down an inverse assignment ... all required to upgrade in this non-union "merit-based" fantasyland.

Seniority = safety.

What he said +1.


other quote
Well said, our profession doesn't have the same level of "office politics" many others do. Quote

100% GRADE A BULL******************** on this one. Flightcrew fuk each other and fuk each other over. The impregnate each other and diseminate STDs indiscriminately. They talk sheeot and have complete freedom to do so, as there is little chance the originator of the tawdry BS will be overheard or traced to its source.

Making all of this worse, in "the Office" no one's lives are at stake and there is no federally mandated requirement to compile and share performance records which are made in a largely subjective manner.

There is no office politics in aviation my wart encrusted Popo! If that has been your experience, I am glad for you, but it has not been mine. My experiences were like going back to high school, as far as the maturity and sad need for some to be popular.

At a small base or airline, there are many who, being strangers in a strange land, have their work circle that is also their social circle. It becomes a Hollywood-type incestual sickness.

Not want to "dip my pen in the company ink," I chose to initially force myself to create a group of locals to spend time with. I got a wife, 3 kids, good new friends and bunch of sheeot talk at work behind my back that I was "anti-social" or "aloof." I chose correctly, and soon each person who flew with me stated that they heard A but B is true.

Carry on.