Yes, I agree that this is all good news for wannabes. Whatever the requirements at BA finally turn out to be, it's clear that they must recruit soon, if only to remain at the strength they are now. The same is true of almost all European airlines, and the reports from BAA et al of record passenger numbers back up the impression that the recovery (at least on our side of the Atlantic) is well under way.
What I'd really like to see is a resurgence of the sponsorship schemes that were such a feature of the market just 5 or so years ago. There aren't too many substantial rumours yet, but I do think that it's only a matter of time. Hopefully, this recovery will also remove, or seriously reduce, the pressure for new guys to pay for their own type ratings.
For now, we'll just have to wait and see what happens - but times are, at last, looking up.
Scroggs