Back to my original opinion, I believe that a superior initial training program (possibly frozen ATP) and a strict selection process would be more beneficial and less costly than imposing a 1500 hour minimum. I agree these do not exist in our current puppy mills, however, it is already being done with our military, Europe and elsewhere abroad so it is possible to implement.
Perhaps I haven't conveyed my opinion fully.
This is about stewardship. The airlines have demonstrated that they will hire anyone with a pulse and minimum legal qualifications. They've entered into agreements with training 'academies' and flight schools to ensure a steady flow of applicants. They've intentionally arranged a scenario where the cheapest, hungriest, least experienced aviators get first crack at their job pool.
Why? They're the *cheapest*. By negating the requirements that include some amount of experience, they negate the intangible. The current trend in hiring has no regard towards the actual quality of the applicant, merely the cheapest pilot an airline can possibly acquire.
This process keeps the labor pool hungry, disorganized, and weak. By doing so, they make it impossible for the group to demand sane, reasonable working conditions. It's the "get 'em while they're young" philosophy.
By demanding a higher standard of the applicant pool, you empower pilots to brings greater bargaining leverage to the negotiating table. By doing *that*, you enable greater leeway in the decision making of pilots on the flight line.
End result? A safer, more practical air travel environment.
Rebecca Shaw stated on the CVR of Colgan 3407 that she felt she was too tired and too sick to fly. All the same, she didn't call in sick because she could not find or afford a 'crash pad' in the EWR/NYC area and would have been punitively denied the right to go home on travel benefits.
Colgan Air painted Shaw into a corner. Her inability to properly assist Captain Reslow- and if need be, correct him- was clearly evident.
50 people became a smoking hole as an end result.
The 1500 hour concept IS about restricting the labor pool. It's designed not only to restrict the nature and quantity of applicants, but also to empower and safeguard those who make it through the selection process.
One of my favorite teachers in high school told a story of a very powerful, successful man that she knew about. He did not attribute his success to his individual intelligence, skill, or other ability. He attributed it to finding the most intelligent, skillful people he knew and letting them work to their greatest potential. He gave them the things they needed to be great, and in turn they all reaped great rewards.
The airline labor concept as it exists today does not do that.
The 'carrot and stick' model of labor relations must end.
The 1500 hour rule is the first step.
