Low timers looking to be PICs
What's happening is pilots are coming in at 500 hrs, but must sit in the right seat until they meet that company's mins for Captain. This is usually 3,000-3,500 hrs in an RJ, lower in a turboprop. Other pilots who meet the mins are upgraded past them, but have lower seniority numbers. As soon as the junior pilot has the time to upgrade, he is automatically senior to the pilot who may have been a captain years ahead of him. many of these junior pilots have never seen icing or turbulance until they're flying a jet with 50 passengers in back.