Originally Posted by
Flying Clog
I have it on first hand that these pilots, a380 15 year skippers amongst them, are willing to work for free for the foreseeable to keep themselves current for the upswing.
Well if that is truly the case, they will kill the career and never earn a reasonable salary for their skills. With several years of financial contingency, they would be far wiser to retrain to do something else. If things recover, they continue their flying career with new skills under their belt. If things do not recover, they embark on their new careers.