Here's a question. Let's say they fill the FDA's with newhires like expected, they find guys willing to take a huge financial hit just to get on the property. Say a large percentage of these newhires will do anything to get back to the U.S. so they bid 727 SO at 100%. When the time comes (granted, maybe a long time) that the company needs fresh bodies in the back of the Boeing, can they hire off the street to fill these slots? It seems like they'd have to open a bid first and let the FDA guys come home if they want to. If that's the case then they'll need to hire off the street again to fill those slots left vacant in the FDA's. Then the cycle repeats itself. Then once again when an MD-11 base opens in HKG.

Bottom line: Have we turned into a company that, by default, only hires to fill the FDAs? Will the standard "rite of passage" to join the FedEx team be that you have to spend several years going broke in an 800 square ft apartment in HKG or CDG? How many of us would have applied knowing that was the case? I know there's some guys like Whale Pilot who would jump at the chance to be based in HKG or CDG. But as the other airlines ramp up hiring again, my concern is that a lot of very qualified, very good dudes are going to take a job with Delta, SWA, UPS, etc to avoid being sent overseas for several years with us.

Thoughts?