This was from the JFK meeting. We are going to hire around 300 pilots in the fall. We will take a break in the spring and summer of 11 and then look about perhaps another 300 in the fall. I am simply telling you what the powers to be said. Thats the only info I have.

 

Let's hope no break is taken. Regardless, any hiring we do is great.

 

The licensing on the tests, the cost of airapps, et al. Not sure if they pay per pilot or per month or year. Generally contracts are at least a year for stuff like this.

The point is that if they were looking for ONLY 300 they could have done all of them via flow over a few more months.

I know that the power that be are stating no hiring for the first eight months or so of 2011. Hope it is not true, but as you know things change very quickly.

I agree that it is prudent not to hire too many without knowing which way the economy is really going.

 

Airlineapps is a monthly or yearly cost not per pilot. I don't know exactly what Delta pays, but I know other airlines that are much smaller pay 10K per month for them to run the application process of their hiring departments. I'll bet Delta pays more than that per month. Not sure what it costs when your not actively hiring.

 

I believe you Sailing and have been hearing rumblings of the same type, I'm just saying that in 2007 they said the same thing and ended up hiring over 700 people.

The guys they are hiring now are not for summer 2011 flying IMHO. If they really wanted them for the summer of 2011, they would run some large classes starting in January. Why hire guys for summer 2011 in August? They will be online by October just in time for the winter schedule. They can run guys through class starting in January for the summer flying.

Projected retirements for 2010 were 3 and at month 6 we have had around 150. If that trend continues then we will have around 300 retirements which is what I believe is driving this round of 300 they are hiring/recalling. If summer 2011 looks good in December of this year you will see classes in Jan-Feb-Mar to cover the 2011 summer schedule.

 

Also, it's better to under-promise and over-deliver. What sounds better?

We are going to hire 305 this year and maybe some next year. Then we end up hiring 305 this year and 600 next year.

We are going to hire 600 this year and 1000 next year. Then we end up hiring 305 this year and 600 next year.

Same amount of hiring, but one sounds better in the news than the other.

 

how much weight does an internal rec from the training department help?

 

Almost all of those over 150 retirements this year were from the early retirement program offered to the NWA pilots. I believe all of those pilots were scheduled to be gone by May so I don't think you will see more then a handful of retirements the rest of this year. I just spoke with one NWA pilot who was thinking of leaving in Aug. He is making so much money now that he has figured out the contract and GS's that he plans on staying for a while.

 

Someone in my unit just got an email today. So there is hope.

 

On a Sunday???