Knee Trembler - The problem of a discussion that has developped here is that every Alpha Male on the planet feels insulted and has to justify his own place and experience. It is therefore almost impossible to have a rational discussion on this issue whithout it turning into a rather pathetic slanging match. I will, however, try to answer as best I can.
I do not agree with you that my remarks are condescending - if you have taken offence then that is your issue rather than mine. Just to define my terms - by 'jet' I mean specifically a medium jet and above - ie 737/A320-series type aircraft or larger. I do not include small jets like Embraers etc as the same problems arise. Also, I would ask you not to put words in my mouth. At no point did I say or imply that easyJet and Ryanair were the only companies who know how to fly - I do not mind you disagreeing with what I said, but I do not appreciate being berated for some offence that only took place in your own mind. I totally agree, however, that company culture plus knowledge of routes and procedures are key factors. Those factors are, however, inextricably linked with coming onto jet operations and form part of my argument - you tend to go further afield, thus bringing a whole host of new problems that require experience to handle correctly. My point is just that - jet handling is different, as is just about every aspect of the operation that turboprop pilots have left behind. The last thing a pilot needs when every single part of his professional life has changed is the burden of command, which he is ill-equipped to handle at that stage. I stand by my view, therefore that to go from being a captain on a turboprop to a medium jet is a recipe for disaster. I could give countless specific examples to back my view, but that would not be appropriate here. If experience in role was not required you could go down the Job Centre and train up people for a fraction of the price. That does not mean that every ex-turboprop captain would make a terrible captain on a jet. It means they need the appropriate experience on jets, prior to becoming captains in order that they have that vital mix of knowledge, skill and experience. It also means recognising that an enormous amount has still be to learnt that can never be fully picked up on line training. As has rightly been pointed-out, some turboprop captains would do well - for what it is worth I would not have been one of them, even though I was foolish enough at the time to think I would. What undoubtedly is true, however, is that you are significantly increasing the risk of something going wrong. As we all know, there is an element of luck here - it does rather depend on the particular situation you come up against. If experience did not matter then ours would be a simple job that any fool could do. Experience is absolutely critical in any flying job and that is best obtained in the RHS under the ultimate command of someone who has trodden the exact same path before you.
I remember when I was a turboprop Training Captain awaiting my first jet job. I bumped into an ex-Britannia 767 captain who was over 60 and seeing out his time on turboprops - a common practice then. He said something I will never forget. He said that I should not be in a rush to get a jet command as although some people have done so in short order, they were 'vulnerable' to making a big error. That has been my personal experience and my observation of other people has endorsed that view. Being the Captain of a jet aircraft is a demanding job that carries enormous responsibility - it requires a combination of knowledge, skill and experience. If any one of those 3 elements is missing then problems will ensue. Sure, it depends on what the individual captain faces on the day, but by diluting experience you are opening the door to trouble. 'Vulnerability' is the key - one of the key ways of reducing vulnerability is to have experience.
As a little aside, if you join NetJets with 10,000 hours including command on Boeings and Airbuses - where will you go? Guess what - the RHS. Why is that? It is because the whole nature of the operation is so different to anything that has gone before, it is deemed safer by people who have been at that line of work a long time to get experience in the RHS. Is that grounds for the ex-747 captain to take offence - absolutely not! It is grounds for the ex-747 captain to rejoice that his new company have seen fit to ensure that he is adequately prepared to take-on the responsibities his new role will demand when he eventually becomes a Captain again.