I just put this in a post yesterday but - obviously - in the wrong thread. Lots of anecdotal evidence but there is no doubt the pendulum is swinging towards the legacy carriers and away from Fedex. In the last 12 months as hiring has picked up dramatically at the legacies, only 1 guy I keep in touch with (out of MANY) that did want to come to Fedex, has decided he still wants to come here. EVERY other single guy has decided to work elsewhere - for many reasons but not the least of which is the stagnation evident here and lack of hiring (contract tension, night flying, etc are certainly on some pilots minds too). Whilst at the others the advancement is smokin' and the hiring fast paced. Recovering pay & better contracts (arguable to some) and other basing options all helped them make the pass on Fedex decision. Oh and when discussing FDA's everyone of them scoffed at going overseas on 1st year pay... Yes - I know it "could" be the wrong decision in the long run - who knows? And yes - things could swing back again towards Fedex being the "better" place to be. However, we have to live in the now because that's the information paradigm the guys looking for jobs are working in. The reality right now is things aren't looking quite as hot at Fedex as they did over the last decade compared to the legacies. And guess what? Guys see & hear that and no surprise - they are making choices to go elsewhere. I don't see that there's a whole lot more to it. I did Delta for 18 months after 20 years in the military, then ditched them in 2012 to go to Fedex. It's actually where I wanted to be because I lived in Anchorage, plus the other things at Fedex just looked (and generally were?? or are?) that much better than elsewhere. The Anchorage base ain't working out so well but roll the dice sometimes you lose. But to be honest - if Alaska was hiring today I'd jump at that chance over long term Fedex (primarily a basing decision but things are looking up at AK air too, new contract & higher pay). To be honest, if it was today, I might actually have stayed with Delta based on the rapid hiring and hence, quality of life improving, chance at international flying from Seattle (close to home), even though I hated PBS and didn't generally like the passenger business. Esp if I'd been paying attention to how things "appear" to be "at the moment" at Fedex. It's relative - but all things considered the bottom line is Fedex ain't necessarily the king of the hill anymore. Lots of other options at other carriers and a relatively decent future there compared to the past ~decade. And the other reality is none of this gnashing of teeth makes a hill of beans difference if, as it seems, the company just doesn't care....