You’re right about the hiring not being an issue if the regional is furloughing as well, but Kirby loves outsourced rj’s and if everyone is furloughing, the regionals will probably furlough less, and recover first. I forget the exact verbiage, but the regionals have to offer a multiple of jobs for the number of 70 seat aircraft flown for United (I think that it is 5 jobs per jet). If they don’t get any takers, the obligation will have been met.

The seat reconfigurations will happen even if the regionals are furloughing.