Stephen, point taken. However, the budget airlines that take on low time pilots in Europe subject their recruits to very comprehensive training before putting them on line.
Furthermore, on completion of their line training these pilots go on to become salaried employees of the airline, and with experience comes competence. Lets face it, on any new type you are likely to be behind the drag curve for the first couple of hundred hours. However, if you already have experience of operating in an IFR enviroment, exposure to weather, ATC etc. etc. the chips are stacked in your favour.
Furthermore, the opportunities for time building in Europe are not as extensive as they are in Africa for instance and low time pilots are taken on as a matter of neccesity, not of choice. Many airlines also like to take on low timers since they can 'mold' them to their own requirements.
Nationwide had a scheme a short while back where some P2s paid for their ratings. I believe this scheme has been stopped since some of the guys weren't hacking it and it caused animosity within the company. Then again, the others did just fine - but they were not 200hr pilots.
However, we are not arguing about paying for ratings here, we are talking about paying to occupy the RHS on a revenue earning flight - the more hours you occupy that seat, the more you pay.
My argument is that this practice is exploitive, compromises safety, destroys the hierachial structure on which this industry is based and degrades the professional status of professional pilots everywhere.
Nuff said.