This is not meant as a jab, so seriously...are there many folks at Atlas who have left a legacy or major? And if by furlough, have made the choice to permanently bypass the recall? There are some real qualities of Atlas that would warrant such a decision.
As mentioned above, some on recall have gone back already.
Most pilots I have talked to from AA/UAL on furlough said they would wait until their last possible chance to go back, and then decide. A few double furloughees said they would not go back. Talked to one guy that could go back to UAL: He would make a lot more money (lifetime, with the present contracts in place) at UAL, but he loved flying at Atlas so had not gone back as of yet...he was a younger guy.
Quality of life: It depends. For some guys, Atlas has a better quality of life than the majors, for others, the majors are much better. It depends on what your definition of "Quality of life" means.
cliff
GRB