Originally Posted by
sqwkvfr
You are seriously misinformed about the MPL...it is carrier-specific license that requires additional training to obtain a full ATPL or move on to another carrier. Regardless, you're gonna be hard-pressed to find anyone that will self-sponsor for a license that, should they run into politics at their airline employing regional airline, would leave them with very few options.
I think most people would have a real problem with a right-seat regional "job" being used as an evaluation period for people with very little flight time and experience, particularly when the changes as of late have been in the opposite direction.
Also, countries that have an MPL have many years of experience with the frozen ATPL...it would be a hell of a leap for the FAA to go from a 1500 hour requirement to right seat regional people with less than 200 hours....it works in the EU because upgrades take a long time, whereas regional upgrades in this country have often been less than a year.
Also, your plan depends on a retaining a cadre of senior regional captains, which is going to require vast improvements in pay and work rules at that level, which will price the regionals out of existance.
With my plan, the MPL pilot gets a mainline seniority number from day one of training, therefore he doesn't have to worry about what happens at his seasoning regional..... he has a number at mainline!
The regionals are littered with "lifers" who aren't going anywhere and could be used to give the MPL pilots seasoning before they leave to their major right seat. You could give the "lifer" regional Captain a small override to provide seasoning, but you really wouldn't have to, since he's not going anywhere and he would still have to fly his trips.
Hopefully the regional "lifer" Captain wouldn't become jealous and envious of his MPL first officer, who would already have a number at a major.