Originally Posted by VenetianFryCook

1. The closest to exact numbers I've seen are in some other threads linked above. You can take a look there.

2. US has close to 500 over-60 pilots flying the line JUST ON THE EAST right now. That doesn't include guys in the west, management pilots, check airmen, anybody on leave, etc. And they start dropping off in 14 months.

3. Age 65 is going to drive retirements like mad around US for years to come, more than any other carrier (though American is in very nearly the same boat). With a minimum fleet count in place, a large amount of hiring will be required just to maintain the airline at its present size, even with ZERO growth. Any growth that might happen only adds to those numbers.

4. This doesn't even touch on early retirements, medical-outs, etc. There are a lot of people who think that if the LOA 93 arbitration goes the company's way, that quite a few guys who were holding on for the chance at some more dough will give up and go early. Every one of them has to be replaced, as well.

5. Add in whatever additional numbers the forthcoming flight and duty changes might require.

All of this adds up to significant hiring, and therefore significant seniority advancement, at US for the next several years. No other airline in America can offer that right now. Are there drawbacks? Sure, but as was said above, the worst major is still better than the best regional. And as an ex-RJ captain who is bottom rung at US now, I can tell you that US treats its people 100 times better than any regional does. (Scheduling is actually courteous and professional when they call! Will wonders never cease?) Everyone here who complains is comparing US now to US pre-9/11. Yes, on that basis, it sucks. But comparing US now to a regional now is a whole different bag of cats, something that a lot of pilots (at US or any other legacy who have been there since the '90s) have no frame of reference to comprehend. The last regional those guys flew at had Bandits or 99s. That's not a diss, it's just a fact. Tough to have a perspective on something you never experienced.