That's a pessimistic take on things.

The growth plans are going to require a whole lot more than 6 pilots per month. Equally serious is the fact that if the rank and file of the pilots start to get the feeling that a good contract is not coming quickly, well, there will be hundreds that leave for better pay. It would be really hard to grow the company with a mass exodus of pilots and the inability to replace those guys and gals, much less hiring for growth. Management knows this very well. Having said that, I have little doubt they will be willing to flirt with that danger to a certain degree before giving up lots of money.