Those who chose to stay are doing so because they have NO other option a this time.
Well, I gues I'm the exception to this rule, as my contract was coming up I did some exploratory applications to see what was out there, I spoke to other guys working those contracts and as much as our QOL has decreased since the merger, I found that in other contracts out there (specifically 777 gigs) had the same type of flying that we are doing now and the commuting conditions were substandard (6 on 2 of type of schedules) they are flying a LOT more than we are with constant changes to their rosters, the only place I found that had somewhat good commuting conditions is KAL, and the QOL is worst there than it is here by a factor of 10, not withstanding that the pay is also lower, I think that saying that there aren't any other options out there is a gross understatement because there are a lot of places hiring right now but for what I have seen it is more of the same that we are experiencing here. I don't think that there is any doubt that as an ex pat, one would look for an eventual opportunity to go back to your soil regardless of how good or bad your working conditions may be.