Originally Posted by
sublime259
They are pretty staggering, but both Delta and United are running some massive classes (or planning on it in the near future.) I just don't see how those two airlines can continue doing so at that rate, even with the projected retirement numbers.
American, on the other hand, has the largest retirement numbers coming up and have really only hired at a slow and steady pace. Aside from the rare few, the majority of new hires have been middle-aged flow thrus.
That being said, if I were new to the 121 world and wanted to go to a legacy (not LCC) then I would go to an airline with a flow.
Delta will retire around 8000 pilots in the next 15 years. They already have over 8000 tier 1 applications on file. Sure, a lot of those guys have apps in at other carriers too, but flowing is not gonna be the only way to a legacy. I think the OP made the right decision, based on QOL and other factors.