Yes, those in my seniority group got the worst hosing of all--losing a CA seat and being on the street in a 12 month span.
Loosing an airline and a career is indeed bad hosing.
Been there, done that:
When Tower Air went out of business we all started from scratch.
Some of us with AA, some with other majors and some with minors.
(Same with the Midway guys, that place folded just a few days after 9/11)
As bad as it may feel being an ex-TWA captain and loosing the big paycheck, the status, the seniority, etc, at least, if nothing else, you got a number with another major.
Most of us in the same boat did not.
9/11 was a really bad deal for the victims of the attacks.
For the secondary victims, like the airline employees, it was a bum deal.
Sh!t happens, bad luck, but the AA pilots did not run TWA into the ground, nor did they smoke crack in the mosque, hi-jack planes and fly 'em into buildings and ruining the US econonmy for the next 5 years.
We are all in the same boat (or on the same street.)
Lets hope there is light at the end of the tunnel, but with the fuel prices on the way up, it may be a train.