My two bobs worth,
Turboprops for
VB regional........maybe.....and that's a BIG maybe. As mentioned the EMB's haven't been the money spinner that the ivory tower thought they were going to be. I would think that the introduction of turboprops would also see the downscaling of the EMB ops, so there probably wouldn't be a huge net gain in pilot positions. As for progression, well thats anyones guess. The new turboprop company would probably be an independant company under the
VB umbrella, just like VAus. Progression from
VB into VAus has been about as exciting as a visit to your local proctologist. I hear there is dissent amongst the ranks in V due to no foreseeable upgrades right across the ranks. They are going to need to sort that one out. So I cant see the 'holy grail' of seemless progression from an FO on a turboprop to CMD on a 777 ever being an eventuality. I'm sure the the company will tell you that this will be an option in order to get you to sign up, but I would want it in black and white in an EBA before I believed it. Have you ever noticed when you get home from shopping and cook up those nice looking carrots, they're real bitter, and you throw them out.