I hate when people refer to the quick upgrades as a guaranteed fast track to the majors, or say "get your 1K TPIC so you can get in and get out!" This implies that as soon as they build up some amount of left seat time their phones will be ringing and they'll have their pick of wherever they want to go. This is inaccurate on so many levels. There are already hundred of folks who already have that same amount/more TPIC and cannot get a call from anyone. The only thing a "quick upgrade" will get you (other than a pay raise) is your resume put in the same pile as the hundreds of others with similar quals waiting for a call. Almost every recruiter at WIA made a point to say TPIC is not required. It is my belief that things like attitude, personality, networking, making the effort (job fairs, etc) goes a lot further then just listing some TPIC on Airline Apps. Surely it will make you a bit more competitive, but it is by no means a golden key that will unlock all the doors for you.

That being said I agree that a flow is a nice backup but ultimately its unnecessary and more or less a distraction given the protected hiring thats about to occur. Everyone is going to get a chance in the next few years, flows really only help management not even to keep you there longer but to get you there in the first place. If ultimately the only way to AA is by waiting for a flow, with little to no opportunity of getting an interview earlier or through your own effort, then we'll all have lost a little more control over our careers and when we can "get out".