St.Paul, 2 qualified crew? Meaning 4 pilots? I think you mean 2 type rated pilots, of which one has been qualified as commander due to his or her level of experience. For the F/O.... if the only difference is that he or she is getting paid or giving the airline money, well that`s 2 different worlds.
Yes, airlines put their new-hires on line training, of course, how else will they get the experience? But this all happens AFTER they have gone through the airline`s selection process, passed the airline`s TR and are out on line with the airline`s training Captains. What could the difference be....?
Fade to grey, there are always at least 2 sides to every story. Have the money and ability is one way of putting things. Another way could be not being able to get hired by the smaller companies first. Or even as an FI. Or even worse - getting fired by either small companies or flight schools (as FI) because you`re just not competent enough to hack it. Next step smells like a SF TR to me. And that`s what makes me very sceptical to all operators who have this policy.