Hamrah - how much is the cost of a JAA B737 type rating? Is £15k about right - or is that way over the top? I hear from a friend that works for FR that the way they do it is set up a bank loan which is covered by the company as long as you're with them (seems to be a bit of a tax dodge from the way it was being described) - but if you leave then obviously the bank manager comes looking for you!
As I said previously, a lot of airlines in Europe are watching this with great interest. You'll know better than most, H, the high costs of recruitment and selection - and the number of CVs you have to plough through that are from 'chancers' that are patently unqualified for the job. This is simply a way of companies covering those costs and putting the onus on the individual to take a 'sniper' rather than 'shotgun' approach to seeking employment.
It couldn't be clearer:
If you do not meet these criteria, then please do not apply, you will only be wasting your time and money.
When it comes to paying people with FATPLs lower pay, this again is another practice that they seem to have picked up from Southwest. If you join WN, you have to have undergone a command course for the 737 - even if you're coming in as an FO. It gives them the operational flexibility which simply isn't there for someone that's not qualified - as in the case of an FATPL holder. Insurers don't like low timed pilots either, and employing them means potentially sharply increased insurance rates as well as the headache of always having to roster the most experienced pilots with them. In any case, the FATPL holder is getting a pretty good deal; after all, s/he's in the right hand seat of a B737 rather than instructing in C150s or doing air taxi work until they hit the magic 1,000 hrs with lots on multi-turbine!