Truckster it would almost certainly be logistically easier to simply fold AO into J* and use the AO AOC/aircraft for the J* International ops. Particularly when 2 yrs down the track the 787s start arriving and it's time to transition the crews, at company expense, onto the new Boeing. As you rightly point out a les than two week course if coming from other glass cockpit Boeing or 6+ weeks coming from Airbus'.
What % of AO pilots would want to stay permanently in J* international?
I would suggest their options would be;
1/. Remain in Jetstar Int permanently and forget you were ever a QF Mainline employee...with all that entails or,
2/. Return to QF mainline via whatever mechanisms are in place for that eventuality.
As far as I am aware the vast majority of AO pilots, if not all, are merely seconded to AO and cannot imagine the vast majority, but probably not all, would not return to QF mainline given the above scenarios.
It will be indeed interesting to watch from a safe distance.
