There are numerous smoking holes on all sides of the Atlantic which were assisted by "fully qualified atpl's", just as there are military pilots with less hours doing an amazing job because of their quality and the quality of their training.
Hours does not equal safety, nor, sadly, does experience, as you should know. Safety is an ongoing process which challenges each of us every working day, no matter what our level of experience.
What I cant figure out is why someone from the US thinks his grass will be greener as a result of Atpl's in seats. It is the quality of the training in the appropriate environment that counts, not 2000 hours in a cessna 152(not trying to besmirch long suffering flight instructors here either!)
The Aeu deal will be good for both Lingus and ourselves and employ a lot of pilots who would otherwise be unemployed.
Airbus operation opens up all kinds of business opportunities for further expansion and thus employing even more staff.
Tell me how evil it all is....go on...you know you want to....
