The sUAL 2013 recalls occurred in the winter/spring with the intent that the pilots would be online for summer flying. A company fat on pilots does not recall pilots. When UAL messed up the recalls the summer plan was reduced to meet the actual head count. There were not excess pilots and the director of Manpower Planning was subsequently fired as a result due to the significant loss of revenue.

Back in late '09 when the final round of furloughs were happening the list was fine tuned down to single pilots as the last pilots were putting in their requests for voluntary furlough. When the merger was announced six months later UAL certainlly didn't have >400 extra pilots for the summer flying. Pilot shortages, particularly on the 320, were problems each summer during 2010, 2011, and 2012. The 2013 recalls were an attempt to avoid the same mistake in 2013. Ooops.