Im not too sure about New York, but in a few states you can get a job as a Pharmacy Technician at Walgreens or CVS without having your certification. I've been doing it since I got furloughed in October and it's really not too bad. Good bennys and the pay is decent enough after you get your certification (that the company pays for). Plus you get to wear scrubs to work. Waaay more comfortable than the monkey suit...
Sidenote: I say the pay is decent enough when compared to Comair year 1 F.O. pay, so take that for what its worth, haha (bout $12/hr)

words...............

Go back to college on the side and you can turn that into about 100g's a year working 4 10 hours shifts a week. Im sure you already know that though. Ive thought about it a few times.

Def. thought about it and probably will. Trust me, it's no career, but it is a stable means to an end...at least until I figure out what the hell I'm gonna do with myself next.

Freedom isn't the only other DCI carrier at JFK. I've been through JFK a lot in the last few months and seen ASA and Skywest in there quite a bit. I could see more Mesaba, Pinnacle, and Compass stuff coming that way soon too. It wouldn't surprise me.

Does anybody have the tail numbers for the 6-8 CRJs that Comair is transfering to ASA and Pinnacle this week?

25 pilots took the early out. More than I thought. Hopefully enough that no more furloughs are needed. Mostly CA but a few FO's in there as well. Looks like 980 was the lowest number to take it and 141 the highest.

source: go to crew bid. Choose option under View all Standing Bids.
Anyone with a standing bid of EOP(early out program) or 55P (55 point program)

For all it's worth, I don't want to come back to Comair. In the event of a gigantic fluke of nature and they do recall BEFORE any other company starts hiring, I'll go back. But even then, I'll be looking at other companies as soon as they start hiring. My time in Comair is either done or limited for the reasons you stated, 2 years reserve and who knows how long for upgrade. Personally, I believe we all be gone somewhere else sometime this year.

Ok, so let's put these numbers into perspective. I don't think the FAs have just been really overstaffed for the last 4 months and are just now deciding to furlough. So, being that we have furloughed 300+ and they have only furloughed 40 or so (wasn't that closer to 80) and now they are telling the FAs in recurrent that they want to cut them from 800 down to 650, I think that would actually mean more cuts on the pilot side.

The early out program closes at 5:00 P.M today. I think you will see a few people add to the list and you will also see a few pull out before 5:00.

New Memo on epic....10-12% increase in flying..with a HUGE shift from CVG to the NE (67% of all our flying will be in the NE) by May.

Also dropping of a base in the NE. I expect a BOS base to finally come to pass...as appx 10-12% of all our flying will be out of there.

Could be good news folks.

"Most importantly, the increase in block hours results in a significant reduction in
our need to furlough. Based on this schedule, I expect minimal flight attendant furloughs and do not
anticipate the need to furlough any pilots, at least through August."