This is just my opinion on this but here it is. I don't think its gonna be as bad as people seem to think. I know about 5 or 6 guys that now have 1500 hrs or pretty close. Since the last two years no one has hired, they have been stuck at their instructing/charter jobs building time. There's probably alot of you that know people in the same boat. So there has to be a ton of guys with 1500 hrs salivating for a job at a regional. Plus with the caveat about FAA being able to reduce time for certain schools and such.

Now with respect to the mergers. I know that ASA is short and has a need to hire, when, if, and how many I don't know. Expressjet is now recalling guys and hopefully will recall all if not most before the merger is complete. If the current trend continues and ASA already needs pilots, and XJT is calling back right now, and demand picking up, then wouldn't would we eventually need more pilots? Therefore people coming in under the junior guys. Because if both airlines now can hardly crew their aircraft (mostly ASA then XJT), then wouldn't it be the same when both are combined?

And as far as attrition. In like 5 years or so, isn't there going to be a ton of retirement? Example from other thread Delta 2015 - 278 (http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/ma...s-delta-3.html.) So will there not be a need to fill those spots? I'm sure other majors and prob even some regionals will have alot of retirements too. Your thoughts...