Originally Posted by 2GoodEngines

The current hiring environment is obviously unprecedented. Getting hired today at one of the big boys (or even the LCC's/ULCC's) would project to give probably the fastest improvement in QOL of possibly anytime in history (i.e. moving up the seniority list quickly). But, where is the cutoff point? We know every airline is slightly different with regards to projected growth, retirements, etc., and any significant downturn in the economy would make a big difference in the calculation, but as a theoretical exercise, when do you think the point in time is where it's "too late" to take real advantage of the hiring wave? I suspect getting hired anytime in the next 10 years would still be pretty great for someone that had 30 years left, but what about someone who has 15 years left? If that person was hired 5 years from now, (with 10 years left at that point), where will they end up? I'm guessing that person may not see the left seat, and if they do, they probably won't have enough seniority to get off of reserve. Basically, if you come in on the back side of the peak (say, 5-7 years from now) with 10-15 years left, should you just plan on being an FO and base your projections on that? Thought I'd toss it out for discussion. No right or wrong answers but curious if anyone else has done more specific calculations.