LCC's
Last night I remembered that it was Alaska Airlines that inspired me to go to a LCC in the first place. In my first interview with Alaska the board mentioned that "they liked to see some heavy jet time". Six months later I was sitting in 757 ground school for National Airlines.
A two years later at a job fair the chief pilot of Alaska Airlines when asked if I should stay with a faltering company told me that "the majors liked guys with heavy jet time".
It was common for regional pilots to erase the stench of flying turbines by jumping to a Polar, Evergreen or Vanguard. Less than a year later they were on with the majors of their dreams.
Most average Joe's need some kind of "extra credit" on the resume to get noticed. Simply growing old in the left seat of a Dash 8 will not do any good. Where else is a guy supposed to get some heavy jet time other than an LCC or the military?
SkyHigh