Couple thoughts:

- Is there any reason not to keep the interviews going strong for a while regardless of quickly they start training people? Since they've brought people in and set up the process, it might be easier for Delta to build a pool and throw several hundred guys into it for a long term plan than to start the process for just a couple dozen and then start it all over again 6 months or a year later for a couple dozen more and then keep repeating that cycle. There's a reason the CJO is for 18 months I guess...

- Check my math on this (and I admit I don't understand all the details on the Compass/Endeavor/Mesaba guys...), but I could see December OTS in late summertime. But a couple things would have to happen. There's only about 150 OTS hires through December 2013. First: if they ramp up to 50+ a month in the next month or so. Second: if some of the OTS get moved up based on some of the Compass guys being held back that could burn through the first 50ish pretty quick and then another 21+ OTS a month (assuming 29 flow, 21 OTS) after that, it wouldn't take more than about 6 more months to get them in by September (assuming they ramp up training ASAP to 50+). Third: I'm sure a couple poolies will move on to other opportunities as well.

- In the big picture, I think for most of the poolies it is more of a frustration than anything else. Delta has always been my top choice and I'm very happy to be sitting in the pool. But, as a AF guy who is timing his retirement so he doesn't end up with a year plus without a job if it is an 18 month wait, I'd like a little more foundation of a future beyond the "next contact you'll have is an email saying you're cleared to train" with no telling when that'll be (and that's if the psych and background check went well). For a lot of the guys I know who have gone to USAir, United, Frontier and SWA the whole process from phone call for interview to sitting in training was only a month or so.