Originally Posted by
rickair7777
No it's just cheaper and easier to implement (for the powers that be) than some sort of rigorous training and selection program. The "selection" part would have to be rigorous too, otherwise people could just buy all the extra training they need.
This is exactly what is going on. Most foreign flag carriers have been using
ab initio since the bulk of WW2 pilots dried up. The problem is it is
very expensive for the airline and the selection process is rigorous. The US carriers will do anything they can to avoid setting up their own flight schools. Having a newhire who financed his own training and slogged it through CFI'ing and regionals for 5-10 years is much cheaper.
In any event, long term the US carriers will eventually be forced to set
ab initio up.