It should be noted that FlexiCrew is not compulsary for cadets! CTC is still linked with the same partner airlines, however the industry is going to have to react to the downturn. Christmas at the moment is creating a very artificial situation as people are still spending, however once 2009 kicks in we will truly see how deep we are in and how far this recession will sink. People are still going to fly, but will not fly any where near as regularly. A peak/ trough situation exists for many carriers around the world so what FlexiCrew is designed to do is offer a solution that means that airlines don't have to have a load of pilots on their books who they cant fly often in the low season, but still have to pay. I agree that what we all want is for things to go back to how they were 2-3 years ago with plenty of opportunities out there, but the market is not the same anymore and will not recover for a couple of years at least. FlexiCrew might be what it takes to keep airlines taking on people at the moment - what that means for guys in the holdpool and those coming towards the end of training is an opportunity to get a type rating on the licence and to keep their hours ticking over. Fair enough you may be chopping and changin jobs every 6 months or so for a while, having to move away from family for months at a time, but on the upturn, you could find yourself with an unfrozen ATPL, a couple of thousand hours on type and a good way into a legend carrier as DEP, and the salary that comes with that. The alternative might be to sit around stacking shelves at Tesco on minimum wage, deferring the loan repayments and acruing interest and waiting for a carrier willing to commit to a full term contract. I would much rather do something full time with one of the partner airlines but with things as they are I am definitely interested to hear more personally. (But on a positive note, EZ have apparently commited to taking 22 new CTC guys early next year to get their line training)