Originally Posted by
thomasd
sooner or later the market will open up again and then they will be screaming for F/O and CPT again, so they will have to drop teh schemes and will have to offer better conditions again..
Another thread stated that there could be as many as 1000 FATPL wannabe's looking for work with another 120 joining the line every 6 months.
If you are a low cost airline executive the business case is too compelling to ignore. Instead of the airline training costs coming of the bottom line, it can now be a profit centre (as most type rating course are priced well above their actual cost to the airline). Plus DOC's can be reduced by having a pool of free (or even better P2F) copilots. Therefore it appears the new model for most new joiners will be self sponsored type rating followed by a period of no pay or P2F line training followed by a period of payed contract flying (only payed when actually working) hopefully eventually followed by a full time permanant position. The allready huge supply of desperate wannabe's can keep this sheme going for years and every new graduate from the airline puppy mills just perpetuates the atatus quo.
However I guess there is a glimmer of good news as it seems impalusable that you can run an airline with only lowtime FO's as training capacity, schedual stabilty, and replacements for retiring/leaving captains would seem to require a core of "traditional" full time permanant FO's.
Wannebe's best be prepared for a long hard slog before they can secure a "real" airline job, sadly it is the new reality.....