Quite possibly. I was confining my cost thoughts to a new joiner FO, as information would indicate once a pilot is upgraded their propensity to leave diminshes, even more so with TRI or TRE.
Every time a trainee is sitting in a classroom and not out flying the line, it's a direct cost to the airline
Please, really, you think I do not understand that. In the same way that when they are on line they are also a cost, n'est pas?
To make it simple, what does it cost to take a new joiner to CTL status?
As far as educating your children, that cost is a given for pilot A or pilot B who replaces him/her. I am talking about ADDITIONAL costs for a pilot leaving. Can you see the difference?
Edit to add: We are basically talking the difference in fixed costs and variable depending when a pilot leaves. Ignore salary and allowances because they are fixed. Again, say a one year FO leaves (no bond say) and another joins, the DIFFERENCE is the ground school and sim costs for the new joiner and any start up costs such as initial welcome pack stuff. The education does not come in as that is the same for both.