That is 100% not correct. I've held both roles at a US carrier, it's not nearly as simple as you say to keep people dual qualified. Which I why I mentioned this seeming like a good idea at surface level, but it falls apart when you look at everything the pilots and company have to deal with to do it.

And most unions have been quite opposed to tactics like this in the past, as management has used to it abuse right-seat qualified captains even more (by making them fly as FOs on trips that need it) in the past.

[–] HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club 0 points 1 year ago

What needs to be done to keep a captain qualified as a first officer? What is the legal difference between the two that requires two different qualifications?

And I understand that the union would want to protect captains from being demoted on flights, which is why the airline and the union would need to negotiate on this program. However, you still have an absolute shortage of qualified captains and this can be a way to address it. Why not at least try?