I'll admit that there is a lot of the business side on here that I don't understand, but it seems that training contracts are in use for everyone except the Majors because for the longest time that was the pinnacle and once you had worked your way up there they weren't worried about you leaving before they got their dimes worth of training out of you; but if you weren't a major (or fractional as it is now) it seems that if you DID NOT have a training contract then someone would hire on to get some type of advance training, upgrade, type rating, etc.... and then turn right around and leave the company without having worked an honest day. Thus the company is doing nothing but paying for the employees training in the simulators and airplane (plus all other associated costs - hotels, food, per diem, etc....) and getting nothing in return.

So....I know what I said above is just too simple a thought and there MUST be more behind the dislike of training contracts that I see posted here.

Btw - I agree that basically having to have a 737 type rating for SWA is a form of training contract and I always wondered about it 20 years ago while I was driving those crews around as a hotel van driver! Why pay for the training yourself when every other airline would train you.
Also - looks like the top fractionals all have training contracts too.

I'm missing something here.

USMCFLYR