The problem down here in Australia and New Zealand is we are a bit behind the lines when it comes to Low Cost Carriers. When I first started working in the UK, all airlines paid for training, albeit with a bond of some sort. Ryanair came along and all of a sudden people were being asked to pay upfront for a type rating. Next step was the introduction of employing pilots on an outsourced contract which meant that you paid for your own sim checks and also hotel accommodation. The final nail in the coffin came when 'cadets' started paying for type ratings and line flying to give 500 hours experience. With each of these developments those of us already working 'scoffed' at how ridiculous each of these new schemes were and that there was no chance in hell they would get enough candidates. Funnily enough though they ended up oversubscribed. Impulse then Jetstar Oz started it in Australia, Air NZ and Kiwi Air tried to start it in NZ, Tiger came in at about the Ryanair level but seems to have cut to far. Jetstar is the only successful LCC model in Oz to date, even Virgin is trying to move up in the world. I am suprised as to how long it has taken Jetstar to start exploiting these schemes down here like they did in Europe. Cadets are only the start. Before we all start getting high and mighty, I would say a good proportion of the pilots who allowed these schemes to get underway were expats from New Zealand and Australia who compose a big proportion of the flying community in the UK. They were quite happy to 'undercut' the locals at the time. Maybe it is the chicken coming home to roost.