At Coex you are governed by the "FTA", which means that you can't apply at CAL and have to wait for the flow-through, or go to another carrier. I have also heard the "train twice" argument.
As far as the FTA here at Coex, there is some controversy about when it expires, depending on your viewpoint (pilot or management). ALPA maintains that the FTA won't expire until the sunset date of 2004, even after CAL sells off it's remaining 53% ownership in Express. Management is steadfastly maintaining that when the divestiture happens, the FTA will end. The lockout period for CAL to sell is rapidly coming to a close (end of October, I think) and most think that they will indeed sell off their remaining shares. So, it should be an interesting showdown between ALPA and management.
All in all, my opinion (everyone has one, don't they?) is that the FTA was designed for the majority of pilots on property when it was signed, and is of little benefit to anyone hired after that. Some will maintain that it benefitted all of the pilots through increased movement in seniority. I personally don't think that movement up in seniority would have been much different if there had been no FTA. Why, you ask? I am of the mind that the average Joe pilot would be more motivated to get hired elsewhere if there was no FTA to begin with. After all, many of the pilots at Express will tell you that they consider Express to be a stepping-stone to a major. If you knew that your only chance to move to a major is to prep yourself and pursue it aggresively don't you think that an equivalent movement up in seniority would occur anyway? That scenario doesn't apply to me (over 40 and expect to retire here), but I understand the rationale.
Just my 2 cents.
Fraternally,
Scott Sherfey
ERJ FO furloughed Nov. 1st 2001
