My point is that the faux outrage over the hiring of low time pilots with good attitudes, demeanors, and backgrounds is moot at any airline with a functional training department. 1500 hours, 10k hours, they either meet the standard during their checkride or they don’t. If the training department is functional, it doesn’t matter if they’re low time or high time.

It’s sour grapes from people that somehow think there’s a measurable, quantifiable difference in value to the company between a pilot who flies within standards and a pilot who flies slightly better than that. Or that they’re owed a job simply because they’ve been doing it a long time. Furthermore, I’ve seen plenty of “high time” pilots at other airlines that only made it that far by PFL. Pilots that I wouldn’t trust with my life on a dark and stormy night. I’ve also seen plenty of low time ones that have already shown excellent airmanship and decision making a year or two into their careers that I’d happily ride along with on a V1 cut.

We have an excellent training department, which is why I’m not concerned at all that they’re hiring chipper, eager to learn 2000 hour pilots and leaving the 15k “United owes me a job because I flew for express a long time” bitter ones to spread their great personalities at other carriers.