From a management perspective, once an airline has invested training time in a pilot, they really need to hang on to said pilot if at all possible.
Whether or not a pilot is bonded, or whether or not the bond is enforceable, it is less about the direct cost of the training (i.e. groundschool, simulator, base training) and more about the impact on the schedule if the training time has to be repeated because one pilot leaves and another has to be recruited.
Knowing this, I once used it as leverage. I had accepted a job on a fairly ordinary salary. Pay during training was even worse, but at least the simulator was in the USA, so it cost them lots of time and some money. When I got in-country, they put my line training on slow, because effectively while I was on training pay they had a very cheap pilot. I let it run for a couple of weeks, when it became obvious what their game was. A simple ultimatum to roster me for enough hours and a check to line within the next 14 days or I would walk, and suddenly all was sorted.
Last edited by Mach E Avelli; 8th Jul 2012 at 03:41.