If he has a work permit for the US, it might be feasible, but chances are slim at 33, if your goal is to work for a major airline.
The programs that place you on an airline jet in a short amount of time are only for people usually younger than 26, so he'd have to do it all himself. So add at least another year and then he's 24 years old with very low flight time.
Airlines that do take low-timers, usually want them in their early 20s, and there's a large group of 30-year olds with thousands of hours in their logbooks already.
So if he can use the States as a back-up, it might be a worthwile decision, if not, it would require some deep thinking.
Anybody else with some valuable insight?