Yes, I agree. The numbers are somewhat larger than WW says, and it will take some time to reabsorb those who've been displaced. I wouldn't expect that process to be complete either this or next year. Incidentally, the 750-hour contract remains the default.
I haven't heard about this FlyBe tie-up, and I wonder if it's a rumour hanging over from the company's attempts to find temporary positions for redundant pilots a few months ago. There were discussions with a number of airlines about hosting VS pilots - some worked out, others didn't.
Originally Posted by fruitbat
I think life for Virgin is about to get considerably harder with the approval of the BA/AA tie up from the EU.
Well, it hasn't been approved yet! However, it seems that it is likely to be approved this time. The approval will be conditional on the surrender (or 'lease') of certain slot pairs, which may become available to VS - and they may not. Either way, VS and the regulators will be quick to pounce on any predatory pricing tactics by the OneWorld airlines. In fact, their tactics are likely to be to try and drive prices higher to improve the dire yields - particularly for BA, whose costs per pax/km are over twice those of VS. All part of the fun of competition, though - and that's something Virgin has never shirked.