Seniority. It’s the rank among peers “that rules an airline pilot’s life,” says Paul Templeton, a pilot employment expert and retired airline captain. “Seniority determines almost everything you do — what crew base you’re assigned to, what equipment you’ll fly, and your monthly schedule.”
Seniority — The Key to Career Advancement
Key Takeaways:
- Seniority is the foundational system in airline piloting, profoundly influencing almost every aspect of a pilot's career, including assignments, aircraft flown, schedules, earnings, and quality of life.
- The system functions as a fairness mechanism, ensuring career opportunities are awarded based on tenure rather than merit or favoritism, and exists in various forms such as relative, captain/first officer, aircraft, and base seniority.
- Pilots strategically utilize their different types of seniority to bid for desired positions and achieve career goals, making the accumulation and preservation of seniority, especially at major airlines, highly valuable.
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