March 2008 was the first time in the last 5+years that AE hired more than they lost. They hired 5 more FOs than total pilots lost. We are seriously short on FOs and RSV CAs fly as FO on a daily basis to cover the shortages. Expect 30 newhires every 2 weeks for the remainder of the year, barring any extreme changes. After all AA flowbacks return to the mothership things will slow down considerably as far as upgrades go. Hiring will continue, but forward progress will be even slower than it is.

On a related note, there hasnt been so much as a peep out of HQ about divestiture plans, timeline, if/when it will happen. I am getting the vibe that the final decision to divest hasnt been made yet. Personally, I bet it wont happen period.