I just read on another forum that beginning in December of next year, United will have a pilot retire every 18 hours. That is a pretty amazing statistic especially when you add in all of the other carriers that will have similar numbers based on age 65 retirements. Couple this with improved rest requirements, improvements in contracts at United and American and eventually US Air and there could be a huge hiring boom in the near future. It is still a ways off, but my guess is they will have to start spooling up training departments at least 4-5 months prior.