From what I can see, it's mainly FO's that are surplus to requirements and those that do have forced unpaid leave, what exactly are their options?
a) Throw the toys out of the pram and tell MOL to politely stick his job. There's not a great deal of operators hiring around the world right now.
- Jet Air have plenty of 738's but I'm led to believe they won't hire non-Indian FO's now.
- Flydubai is not a viable option right now and may have too high minimums for recent RYR new joiners.
- Closer to home, XL was a bigish 73 operator and have put a load of experienced 738 drivers on the market.
The problem is that inexperienced FO's are like pebbles on a beach and MOL knows that. 100 FO's could quit in the morning, and he knows that there will be 4 times that amount waiting to fill their position.
b) Sit tight and ride out the winter and wait for the 'Boeing strikes' (tongue firmly placed in cheek) to end and wait for the flying to pick up.
IF I was told to go home and come back in 3 months time, there is no way that I would keep my feet on terra firma. Either a 152 or 738 I need to earn a living, contract or no contract.