My understanding is that there is great need by Mngt to have a ready group for training. Ones that are already vetted. Three different groups within one airline have different views of how many and when to hire. Pilots want more ALWAYS, Flt Ops want's a little extra based on what Network Planning is forecasting (can change daily,) HR needs to know when and how fast & The Board wants as tight a group as possible without missing out on an expansion.

I think they compromise by getting HR ready to interview, get a plan for any furlough recalls, get a list of the top guys kids that need to interview, check w/ Legal on how flow-ups will work and then go from there.

The entire industry sees the retirements coming and how fast they will go through the top Regional candidates (VP's, CP's, Instructors, Capt's) This will leave the guys w/out 4 yr's, the violators, and problem children. Each Major wants to grab as many of the 'Top Shots' as they can.

My guess is that many of the top guys will be in a few different pools before they goto training. It should be a crazy next few years for all of us. Not a bad time to be a young Jr Regional f/o.

Baja.