I hate to be "Johny Rain Cloud" here, but the honest answer is that it's going to vary from company to company. For instance, post 9/11 when we started getting our furloughs back, they were not required to have any time at all, however, anyone who was not a furlough was expected to have an average of 50-60 hours a month over the course of the last 6 months.

I would encourage you as those days get closer, to maybe get a CFI gig, or something that will put you back up to par with some of the other boys and girls that will be applying. Not all furloughed 121 guys left flying altogether. Some went to be CFI's, others are working their tails off in 135 pax and cargo, others are flying part time, but still maintaining currency, and those will be the guys they look at first should they decide to go to another airline where they don't have recall rights.