Originally Posted by
OldSF3Dude
No, admitedly I didn't pay for my ATP.
But, when I was first hired at a regional I had 1283 total hours and 205 multi-engine, plus my ATP written done. If waiting another 217 hours to get on with an airline would have meant better pay I would have gladly flight instructed/flew charter a few extra months and paid a few hundred bucks for an ATP check ride.
Long term I think ATPs to get hired part-121 is a good idea.
I get your point. But ATP mins are not practical, not to mention hiring is done by the market conditions at the regionals. The only way that what you are saying is possible is if the gov itself forced the regionals to hire only high timers which will never happen. It's none of their business to tell the airlines how to run their hiring, especially right now. As I stated before these pilots were high timers, the fo had 1600 at the time of hire and a few hundred hours on the q, that wasn't the issue. The people that have any power over this matter will be looking at the training quality and schedules at the regionals.