Originally Posted by
PilotLZ
In past crises, clearing a furlough list in entirety has often taken up to 5 years. Recalls of pilots who were furloughed in 2008-2009 only finished in 2013 or thereabout.
Not sure how works in other countries but in the US, some furloughees have voluntarily bypassed recall to the contractual limits (well beyond 5 years), ultimately having to return or be removed from the seniority list. The most recent case was UAL pre-covid, iirc. A personal friend bypassed recall many years ago to stay in an expat job that was more fun. He had a Flying Tigers/FedEx slot in his back pocket and retired as a widebody captain after a very successful career.
Lots of variations on a theme here. But the controlling factor these days is that no one has the foggiest notion of what comes next or when. Really tough times...