Well towards the back end of the season permenant contracts have been offered from next year to this summers contractors. This is not because of a desperate need for Pilots, but when I was in the bar in Glasgow the chief Pilot said they were looking at the establishment and what effect the mass recruitment from the Middle East, BA's recruitment and other Airlines ie Virging, Monarch etc. The nature of their business is to be flexible with regards to the fluctuating requirements of the charter market. This means they may need to get Pilots up to speed quickly and the potential drying up of rated, experinced Pilots may make this difficult. Also, previous newletters have discussed dusting off the Boeing type rating course off and possible command opportunities.
This all leant towards a bit more forward planning so the Airline are not struggling to crew Aircraft next year. It is just my hunch reading the latest newsletter that the Airline is trying to reduce its wage bill and this could be a very good time for a senior Pilot to take a golden handshake (depending on whats offered).
Things are changing all the time and undoubtedly will, so who knows what will haapen..............