I have not meant to start a storm here and maybe this will be my last post on this thread. ezydriver - I completely agree with your post. seasexsun - I would respectfully disagree with your perspective on this issue. The practices of Eastern European airlines are not necessarily those we should be seeking to emulate. We are wishing to use the very best possible practices and not the ones we can get away with most of the time. No one is saying every transition to a jet from a turboprop is impossible - what I am saying is that statistically you are significantly more open to a serious flight safety incident if you go from being a captain on a turboprop to a captain on a 737/Airbus. There will always be exceptions to that - but we are dealing with minimising overall risk and not increasing it. A turboprop to jet command in one hit is a massive increase in risk. That does not demean the abilities of pilots coming from the turboprop world (I am one!), but you are vulnerable to significant misjudgements due to the totally different characteristics of these aircraft.
I now train people from every background imaginable and I can tell you that by far and away the best command candidates we have at easyJet are FO's promoted from within with substantial time on type. You do not need to be a rocket scientist to see that - it is just plain common sense that someone who has gained experience in the right seat under the guidance of more experienced pilots will be much better prepared for the challenges of command than someone who is brand new to jets and to the company.
Another poster has alluded to problems at Wizzair - if you put turboprop captains straight into the command of an A320 you are asking for trouble. That does not mean these guys are bad pilots - it does mean they are inexperienced and as such are more likely to make errors. I have now flown thousands of hours on Airbuses and feel comfortable in that role - that does not make me good but it does make me experienced and all the benefits that brings . If I were to now go long haul and be given a command on a 747, I could learn to fly it I am sure. That is not the issue thought. What I would not be is experienced, and therefore I would not be best placed to fulfil the duties of my role. I would want considerable time as an apprentice in the RHS learning from someone who has been there, seen it, done it. That is how you produce the best quality captains. I am not getting into argument here about which is more difficult to fly - you can argue all day about turboprop or jets being more or less demanding. What I am saying is that these are very different animals indeed, and experience is absolutely critical to producing a safe operation. That experience is best obtained in the RHS.