Airbrake you said
As for changing aircraft types and bases after a contract has been signed in good faith, I would view this as very ungentlemanly!
But that is exactly what happened to the last lot of DEP's. They even had 747 or 777 written on their contract of employment.................but BA can (and does) do what it likes in the first 5 years. Some of these guys intended to commute from abroad and were not too chuffed. An offer of employment on the LH fleets does not mean you will be flying on those fleets. You have been warned!
(Personally I prefer SH but there you go everyone is different)
The retirement rates after 2014 are going to be much lower than 100 a year. I like Tandemrotor suspect that SH commands are going to be a lot longer than 16 years...........but then I also think that an awful lot will have changed by then so it wouldn't put me off too much. Just take the fleet that is going to get you started the earliest............it makes such a difference for the rest of your careers.