Your 100% correct IMEO

Is that why 466,650 pilots and 596,500 maintenance crew, that's like 15 pilots and 20 ground crew per new plane - I used to be in the RAF so am used to two pilots and about 20 ground crew per plane. With the threat of severe cutbacks though that could either end up as 50 pilots, 5 groundcrew per plane or 1 pilot, 3 groundcrew per 50 planes! :nope:

realistically though a majority of the new aircraft acquisitions will only serve to replace existing aircraft.

thus, pilots who are currently flying for X airline will be retrained on the new aircraft.

only a very very small - almost insignificant number of pilots will actually be "new" to a given company.

So what do you think is the realistic figure,
 

on the number of pilots in the coming years to recruit,not only in terms of this deal, but generally in the U.S. during the next 10-15 years?

And the majority of those "new ones will either be replacements for resignations, retirements or other terminations. The only additional ones would be to cover the growth of the airlines networks. So a realistic number would be the annual growth figure for air travel which is about 5% globally, but that figure is highly variable year on year as air travel is impacted by a number of elements, social as well as economic and health reasons can all conspire to either drop or increase that figure and the number of jobs will move up and down with it.

The course looks good to broadcast that 'We need one million workers', which certainly pleased many, and stock owners do like media attention, but TarJak mention here, that will be changed to better plan that requires less maintenance when the equipment is more sharper one step earlier, and the actual figure is 1 Million fictitious.