No one in the United States REQUIRES a 4 year degree but certainly you need one to be competitive. That's life. US companies find value in their pilots having a college education, much to your chagrin.

And while a pilot had 5000 hours, he lacked basic airmanship skills that he would have learned if he hadn't stepped into the right seat of a passenger operation with a wet commercial. While an hour requirement is a broad net, even ignoring the wage pressure, it is a good requirement to mandate anyone stepping into the right seat of a transport category jet have a few years of experience as a commercial pilot.

You're not wrong but when you compare US aviation to the EU, the US:

• Is cheaper to learn to fly
• Has a more robust and vibrant GA community
• Overall has higher wages
• Has more job opportunities from the top to the bottom
• Has better job security overall

So we are doing something right, yes?

I've done both, have absolutely no plans to go back to Europe. I still think the 1500 hour does nothing for safety.

The only reason Europe has that '200hr straight to 737' system is they dont have any 91/91k/135 ecosystem.

LH/AF/BA/LX/KLM need a couple hundreds pilot a year each (number doesnt matter here). Sure they can find a couple guys with king air/citation experience but then what ? The class is 80% empty. They're left with the 200hr wonders.

Another big factor is that EU doesnt have thousands of pilots coming out of the military every year. Take the military guys out of the US equation and the hiring landscape would be radically different.

Both DL and FedEx require a 4 year. His training record should have prevented him from getting in the left seat of any commercial operation.

Yes, filler

And the qualification would be dropped the instant the the candidate quality began to suffer.

Still not replying to the important issue.

I've flown in the EU, my company hired a lot of 185tt hour pilots (I wasn't one). It required a while for them to develop the big picture, but none that I flew with had the issues I sometimes saw in the higher time people as far as skills/airmanship. I think it is the same reason the military can put pilots in a fast jet with a 100 hours: they only put the people there that belong there. Screening is important and the school we got them from would do that before the bank would give you money. Just passing an ATP checkride does not qualify.

1500 hours of PIC decision making before flying pax is a good idea.

Even in a 172, go, no go, weather, CRM (CFI) ADM, you name it.

The Euro wonder kids probably do fine slinging gear in brand new airplanes, in benign European weather (basically nothing) while a 20year captain tells them what to do.

Sitting in the left seat of an MD-80 navigating thunderstorms strong enough to rip the wings off like a beer can at night on min fuel isn't in their league.

Look above to my edit.
I flew as a 2000hr captain, non GPS/FMS turboprop in the north of Spain, non-radar ATC, so full procedure, and if you think there's no weather there.....