Originally Posted by
rickair7777
This is correct. Oh wait, nevermind, it's not 1999 anymore...
All else being equal (no affirmative action or family in high places) 121 RJ time is far more likely to get you called by most majors. More so than any civilian prop time, much less a 1900.
Airlines are looking for future Captains and not professional first-officers. Any evidence that you can provide them that you are Captain material will give them the confidence that you are likely to be a good candidate. I imagine for the individual who posted, being a B-1900 Capt in Alaska has to encompass some challenging "real" flying and decision making. But most of all, upgrading fills in the blocks that recruiters are looking for. Now if you were given a choice of upgrade that's a completey different story. I would consider taking the B-1900 upgrade, get some PIC hours under my belt and then move on.
And by the way, recruiting is quite an imperfect science at best. There are tons of highly qualified guys who never get called/hired. And that indcludes both from the military and civilian ranks. And then suddenly you hear of someone getting hired (lets assume no connections or Affirmative Action) who does not seem that particularly competitive. Go figure!