I don't know if it's the right thinking to expect the company to see the error of their ways and come asking for an LOU to expand the HBA system because of problems meeting the recruiting goals. They've already been having problems meeting the recruiting goals for quite a while and they didn't seem like they were in any particular rush to get the TA finished. People are going to apply, they always do. Just like all the pilots who applied and were hired at Net Jets during the whole time they were working with an expired CBA because the TA was "just around the corner." Applying and expecting universal HBA to be "just around the corner" is probably not too bright, because with Net Jet's track record on that type of thing, it's most likely not.
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for the Net Jets pilots that they finally got the TA settled. A good friend of mine works there and he's really relieved to be done with it and is looking forward to really setting in and getting comfortable at NetJets now. I do live near one of the five gateways and I will be applying once I meet the minimums, but I don't think I'd apply if I wasn't willing to move permanently to one of the new gateways because in all likelihood, it's going to stay that way. I'd love to be wrong, but I just don't get the feeling that Net Jets is very proactive about fixing the things that stand in the way of their recruiting efforts.
No contract is going to be perfect, and it sounds like in most areas the new TA is a measurable improvement. The HBA is really disappointing, but it is what it is- so as a potential applicant, look at Net Jets as if this TA is exactly what is going to be in place for years to come. Expecting it to change before the next negotiation is setting yourself up for disappointment.