Originally Posted by
Varsity
What about fleet consolidation? A recession? I bet Delta/American are 1k-2k pilots less each as the MD-80/E190/A330/757/767/you name it here/ is retired with a 737/A320 replacement. Less reserves, CKA, overlap.
Southwest has the same number of airplanes as delta and 5,000 less pilots. It's no secret that management sees the value in consolidating fleet types to reduce staffing.
I don't doubt that the next decade will be the best in awhile for movement, but it won't be a miracle.
Factor in that Delta, American, and United for that matter do across both ponds international flying. By default that means they will require more pilots than Southwest. Not saying that this will make up for fleet consolidation, but I bet the number of pilots that is required for international is significant.