Originally Posted by Mitch Rapp05

A furloughed pilot has no job at United, just a promise that IF and WHEN United begins to hire again they will get first choice to return (in seniority order). Potential or hypothetical makes not a recall. For example, just because United has "x" amount of pilots slated for retirement doesn't automatically mean that the furloughed pilot will eventually be needed to replace him (see Age 65 or mgt. could simply not replace the retired pilot and shrink the airline <-- a very real possibility).

"Absent" a merger, a return to the UAL list is NO given. Many ASSUMPTIONS must have occurred before ONE l-UAL pilot would have been recalled to a "non-merged" UAL. To now assume that said ASSUMPTIONS would have become "definite" sufficient enough to place a currently unemployed pilot in front of an employed pilot is unreasonable.