Not that your logic is too far off given the magnitude of increases in fuel costs, but the cost of an employee is far greater than the straight pay. I don't know anything about the CAL structure, but you would have also have to look at the cost of insurance and benefits, cost of continued training, cost of any pay step increases, etc to get a true value on what it costs a company to keep an employee hired without a need. Does CAL bring pilots back with longevity increases as if you had never left if they put them on the street? In tough financial times, the bean counters take over and look for every possible way to save a buck disregarding company morale or a long term strategy. Hope this all works out soon.