Dude, a sim eval means jack crap. At ASA they have you fly a full motion CRJ, even if you've never touched a jet. At SKYW they have you fly some old beat up AST (or somthing similar). Why? Not to see what a GREAT pilot you are.
At XJT, Mesa, Comair, and other there is NO sim ride. Why do you suppose? Because some 500 hour pilot cant hold altitude?
Get real.
Oh I think you can tell a lot from a pilot on a sim. Like Seggy stated, they specifically tell you not to worry about procedural items and the sim portion is not soley about CRM. I was told to fly to ATP standards within altitude, heading and the instrument approach. I did exactly just that.
I trained instrument students in a Frasca 142 for the first 20 hours of their instrument training. The FAA approves the use of simulators for a great portion of the instrument training AND a lot of simulators are approved for IFR currency. To under estimate the value of simulators, especially full motion sims, is just silly. Why does Nasa use them?
As far as other airlines not using sims, it saves them money! They get a good feel for the pilots backround and hope they make it through training and the sim rides. If a guy stalls the airplane in a sim or dives toward the ground, what does that SAY about that pilot? You still haven't answered my question. If a 1000hr pilot nose dives in a full motion sim, drops 1000' of altitude in a few seconds, and a 300hr wonder boy nails altitude and the approach within ATP standards, who did the better job? Which pilot is more proficient? Which pilot is more likely to succeed in training? Which pilot has the more solid IFR skills? Which pilot would you want flying your airplane? A sim is a sim, bottom line. But when those same sims are used for 121 checks, for certified instrument training - then isn't that enough credibility for a pilot who flies well in the sim? Or who doesn't?
Meritflyer, I am one of the most honest and sincere guys you'll ever meet. I am not affraid to admit when I don't know something and I am always, always open to suggestions and ready to learn from those who have more knowledge and experience then I do. I have a LOT of respect for pilots who are much more ahead then I am. I am a disciplined pilot who flies the way I've been trained and has a lot of respect towards Captains.
I have instructed private pilots, Instrument pilots, Commercial pilots and even ATP's. My observation as an instructor who works hard at my job is this - flight time
alone is not a sufficient means of judging someone's ability as a pilot. The first time I saw a
2000hr pilot try to fly an ILS approach into the airport control
tower, my view on flight time changed - a lot. I've taught 200hrs pilots who could fly an ILS approach to the ground without those needles moving in solid IMC with a 10kt crosswind. Yet a 2000hr pilot tries to fly a simple ILS approach in day VFR into a control tower? Judging a pilots abilities soley by flight time is dangerous, and I bet that is the number one reason why the airlines do not do it. According to your theory, my student with 2000hrs going for his ATP should be flying an RJ - and that scares me. I suggest my family take the bus.
Hey us pilots were put here to fly airplanes right? So thats what we do! 
