Originally Posted by
crflyer
First of all, experience isn't everything. There are very, VERY experienced guys that dont get selected because they wouldn't be the best fit/employees. I've come across people who have flown all sorts of aircraft and I wouldn't be thrilled at all to spend a day with them. And what about all the military guys who get hired with under 2000 TT, and none of it in the 121 environment? That's not a lot of time, but I'm sure they are deserving of it.
I don't know what your definitions of "highly qualified" and "experience" are, but flight times aren't everything. Neither is age. If you've worked hard and are a good fit, congratulations. I agree there are a lot of well-qualified people out there waiting for their turn, and it's not always fair. Some guys, young and not so young, catch some pretty lucky breaks... but there's no need to knock someone because they're not as old as the next guy. Congrats to the lucky duck.
Plus they have no way of telling how old someone is when they come to the interview. They specifically ask interviewees to obscure date of birth on all documents you bring in. The guy was probably invited because of a combination of experience/connections. Once there, all bets are off, you have to be a good fit, and make the interviewing pilot feel like they would want to fly with you on a multi-day trip. Congrats to the guy, he'll be there long after I retire.