> (...) are the ones that care least about their job: they're at the top and they don't need to do a good job to stay there.
I don't know exactly how Japanese airlines work, but the system you describe (seniority) is pretty much standard in Japanese big corps, even without unions.
While that leads to extremely sad things inside the corporations (shudder), customer service doesn't usually suffer due to it. The high school kids working at my local convenience store displays a higher and more consistent level of service than the average stewardess in a North American airline.
I don't know exactly how Japanese airlines work, but the system you describe (seniority) is pretty much standard in Japanese big corps, even without unions.
While that leads to extremely sad things inside the corporations (shudder), customer service doesn't usually suffer due to it. The high school kids working at my local convenience store displays a higher and more consistent level of service than the average stewardess in a North American airline.