flungdung
If unemployed, experienced, type rated, FW pilots will only look at permanent, UK based airlines then they can certainly afford to be on the dole.
Maybe they can, but they should not be looking in this forum. It is
only for those wannabes seeking their first professional flying appontment. Foreign contract employers or agencies do not employ newly-qualified fATPLs, whether fixed or rotary wing.
Redstripe
You're quite right that the airlines you mention are recruiting. You're also right that contact will usually be made between those airlines and experienced pilots without the benefit of advertising. However, your statement that hundreds of experienced pilots will be taken off the UK market, while not strictly wrong, gives the wrong impression, I think. Most of the airlines you mention want small numbers of pilots - many of them are talking in single figures. Ryanair, EasyJet, Virgin and BA are indeed recruiting in significant numbers, though Ryan and Easy will take many pilots from elsewhere in the newly-expanded (from Saturday) EU. The total experienced pilot uptake
from the UK this year is likely to be around a couple of hundred, with the balance of say another 100 coming from other countries.
Don't get me wrong; this is excellent news both for the experienced and the wannabe pilot! But let's not get
too enthusiastic until we see greater numbers of wannabes actually being offered jobs - whoever the employers are!
Scroggs