Krusty you're absolutely right!!
The stupid regional airlines here in the USA are also doing the same thing, taking pilots with no flight experience , now down to almost bare commercial and instrument rating levels to fly turbo props, and especially regional jets and all the while paying minimum wage. All because they are too cheap and too stubborn to raise the price of a ticket one to three US dollars which would enable them to pay an FO approximately $50,000 a year first-year and increase the captain's salary by 20,000 a year as well. As I have said on some previous posts on other threads, first-year FO's make approximately 1500 to less than 2000 US dollars per month to fly a regional jet (When they finally get off reserve) in some of the world's most complex and busy air space.
I have wanted to fly jets since I was a little boy, but now after bashing my head against a wall
for 25 years in general aviation in two countries to end up yet again, broke and on the unemployment line when I got laid off I am not about to spend thousands of more dollars to relocate to another expensive city to get paid peanuts, and in fact, end up in the red even further than I am now at the end of a full year of full-time employment. So I guess I will never realise my dream of ever getting to fly a jet all because I refuse to be a monkey and work for peanuts.
I am planning on returning to Australia shortly, and if I am unable to secure a job in my hometown, then my flying career, such as it has been will be over permanently.
