ZFT thanks for the thoughtful reply, i would argue LCC's do take the low cost training option, with training 'bundled' into purchase costs, everything from 'self sponsored' training, bonds, pay to fly, and outsource to the lowest cost sim centre they can find. All of these options are fundamentally flawed, as it is not in the service providers interest to do anything but pass the candidates with the minimum input required in the minimum time to meet costs and deadlines imposed by the LCC. otherwise they stand to lose the customer. This in no way is the safest option, it is purely the cheapest option, period.
Yes, legacy carriers suffer from reductions in training budgets, but still when the training is inhouse, they are more likely to retrain or fail a candidate. That is reality.
Minimum regulatory requirements if properly policed, allow you to meet the minimum safety standard, it is hard to say you practice worlds best practice if you barely meet minimum regulatory requirements. Regulators are typically behind the drag curve, they tend to be reactive, not proactive when it comes to regulating airlines. For this reason meeting their minimums simply makes you compliant, it doesn't make you safe. A good example of this is that the CAD have no regulation on a controlled rest policy. If you have no controlled rest policy, you are compliant with HK regulation, yet there isnt a safety organisation in the world that doesn't recommend a controlled rest policy properly implemented and practiced on back of the clock flying to make the operation safer. Just one example of being 100% compliant but being less safe by being compliant with a reactionary regulator.
Another good example would be our SIM profiles. Countless V1 cuts, and hand flown ILS's. I cant remember the last airframe lost to a V1 engine failure, can you? Why aren't we practicing the things that are killing people? Our training departments would love to be teaching how to handle uncommanded pole overs in an airbus, or unreliable airspeed, or practicing visual approaches, the things that are killing people in this day and age. But are we doing that? No, but hey, we are meeting regulatory requirements aren't we?