Originally Posted by atpcliff

Basically, unless oil shoots up and stays very high, they will ALL be hiring this year (except maybe UPS). AA will even be hiring. Even USAIr is already hiring. CAL would have already been hiring, but isn't because of the merger. Once that is done, hiring will commence as soon as they get the recalls done, which won't take long, as the return rates off of recall will be the lowest UAL has ever seen.

Flight/Duty/Rest rules go into effect by 1 Aug. It will DRASTICALLY affect the regionals. The regionals are already having large problems getting enough guys in class. They will have to cancel flights, and if mainline wants the PAX, mainline will have to pick up the slack.

As I said, all bets are off, in the short term, depending on the MD/oil situation.

Long-term, with the ATP requirement, the growing demand for pilots overseas, and all of the Age 65 retirements, pilots will be in short supply. DAL has to replace 900 pilots in one of the their calendar years due to retirements!!!

cliff
AMS