Back in the old days....
Back in the old days, well before the implementation of deregulation, a typical major airline applicant had maybe three thousand to six thousand hours of flight experience. Further, most successful applicants had university degrees, and most were military trained.
Once hired by a major carrier, the new pilot flew as a flight engineer for a number of years before moving into the right seat. Again, a number of years would pass by before then moving into the left seat. Typically, ten to twelve years of flying experience with that major carrier before being considered for the captain position. (Typically, fifteen to twenty years from the time the person was introduced to "now, this is an airplane" to becoming a captain at a major carrier in the U.S.)
As the craziness of deregulation continues to develop, we now see idiots graduating from the Clyde T. Fumbuck School of Aviation....really no education at all....no university background....one year in the right seat of a turd-o-matic....then, an aircraft commander flying the general public around...for piss for salary....(as the traveling public pays piss for tickets).
How hard is this to understand why we're having problems?
Fly safe,
PantLoad