Does it realy cost them nothing?
I heard (via rumour control only mind you) that the cadets cost them 100,000 pounds plus each, and took 18 months.
Now if someone with all the bits and bobs comes to them, surely the cost of a type rating is only a fraction of the above, both in terms of time to market and investment.
I can't help thinking I've missed something here. In my business, cost is all, and every way to get them down are used.
Still to be enlightened.