Originally Posted by
dozer
I will go out on a limb and make this prediction: The increased FO mins such as ATP or 1500 hrs will not pass. Instead the trade off will be a revamped ab initio training scheme,( call it MPL or whatever you like) that will ensure an ample supply of new very poorly paid pilots well into the future. The industry argument will be "if only they were trained from the beginning in the aircraft they will be flying."
This is why we need to push for this legislation quickly. If hiring picks up at a decent clip there will not be enough students on hand and the argument for even more accelerated training (via MPLs, academies, etc) will be more desireable. However, if the ATP rule passes it will be hard to reverse and the airlines will have to figure something else out.