If the rumor is true the WBs are coming in 2015 time frame and if it's true they're 100% growth then we'd need to hire.

But as for retirements:

• 56 retirements for all of 2013
• 121 for 2014 or 177 since 2013
• 168 for 2015 or 345 since 2013
• 223 for 2016 or 568 since 2013
• 284 for 2017 or 852 since 2013.

So put it this way, between now and the end of 2015 we need to replace 345 pilots. By the end of 2015 if we do indeed have 84 B717s x 14 pilots = 906 pilots - 270 already funded pilots we need 636 new B717 pilots.

So between now and the end of 2015 we need 636 B717 pilots + 345 retirees or 981 pilots. If we hire 300 in 2014, we now need 681 pilots in 2015.

But that does not include WB pilots needed in 2015. Lets say it is 12 A330s and we take 6 in 2015 for instance. We need 25 pilots x 6 A330s = 150 more pilots or 831 pilots beyond the 300 being hired.

Anyways, take it to the end of 2016, net it all out, take 6 more A330s and the 3 remaining 717s and change nothing else. We need 1830 additional pilots to cover retirements, growth 717s, growth 330s.

So 300 in 2014 means 1530 to go or 765 per year. That's 64 pilots per month

So I agree they need more than 300 in 2014 if all of the above was true. The question I have is if we tend to lose more pilots off the seniority list than planned, why are we trending towards undershooting hiring? What gives?