I believe the most junior CA at Delta has a March '98 hire date. Before 9/11, one of my husband's classmates was a 737 CA in MCO on the Express operation, and he was hired in October '99.
The reason that '98 hire is a CA now is because of what DE727UPS said, that a lot of people will choose quality of life over money & upgrade. After all, by the time you're able to hold CA at DL, you're not looking to build hours anymore, you're where you want to be employment-wise, and you're more than likely safe from furlough. Everyone has different priorities, I've held schedules I never thought I should hold. I could hold them because what I bid for (certain days off, commutable trips) may not be what the person sitting next to me in the crew lounge wants to bid.
The reason that '98 hire is a CA now is because of what DE727UPS said, that a lot of people will choose quality of life over money & upgrade. After all, by the time you're able to hold CA at DL, you're not looking to build hours anymore, you're where you want to be employment-wise, and you're more than likely safe from furlough. Everyone has different priorities, I've held schedules I never thought I should hold. I could hold them because what I bid for (certain days off, commutable trips) may not be what the person sitting next to me in the crew lounge wants to bid.