So did your class get cancelled too Andy?...or are they just offering a class to returning pilots.
No, nor would I expect them to cancel my training.
Interestingly, UAL's been calling a bunch of mil leavers and asking them when they are returning to UAL.
They are also checking on valid military orders. I know this last sentence, because I was IAD flight ops yesterday afternoon to update my home address. The woman at the desk went to her sheet of mil leavers and said something along those lines and started looking for my name. She didn't find my name on the list because I had already faxed them a copy of my orders back in Feb.
I think that a big reason for doing this is because of the number of UAL pilots on leave of absence and mil leave. Here are the numbers from January:
Total pilots: 7409
Active pilots: 6332
Mil leave: 644
Leave of absence: 187
They already know when the leave of absence pilots are returning because there is a set period of time they're allowed to be on LOA; IIRC it's 24 months max. So that number will decrease dramatically by the end of 2008.
The mil leave number is more of a conundrum. As a reservist, you're only allowed to be on orders for 1095 out of a 1460 day rolling calendar. That was a policy implemented almost three years ago, and many reservists on mil leave have been on continuous man day orders. That 1095 should be reached for most of us at the end of September. So there's the potential for United's active pilots to increase significantly come this fall.
When UAL had 20+ retirements a month, the large number of mil leave/leave of absence wasn't a problem. However, with very little attrition, the company now has to plan for them to return. My bet, based on the numbers I've tracked over the last few months (from UAL reports) is that 10-20% of those on mil lv/LOA will not return to UAL.
