It is always a double-edged sword when people leave. Good to see them on their way and bad because Eastern will try to deny that their leaving causes any problems, so they will simply work those that remain, even harder.
People leaving is the ONLY thing that registers eventually, but only when RL is told by a quivering underling, that we cannot run the schedule any more, due to lack of staff. This is, I believe, what very, very nearly happened during the last upturn. After shouting a lot, the relentless wonders of mathematics eventually prevail and he has to do something about it. Those who are employed by Eastern understand fully that he (and/or Bryan Huxford) are unconcerned by factors such as staff happiness, so long as the money rolls in and so long as they believe that the company's external glossy veneer remains unblemished.
If the flight deck who are on their way are on the Scatsta contract, these are the ones that are most difficult to replace, so it will cause Eastern the greatest problems.
It is such a shame, because when you talk to those who have been at Eastern for more than about 6 or 7 years, it used to be a genuinely good place to work.
Nowadays, it is the upturns that cause Eastern problems - not the downturns...