there is an enormous bias in this country by REGIONALS against retired airline pilots
Has been like that for many years. In 1985 I was retrenched from an overseas airline where I had been flying 737's. I was 53 at the time. I applied to Kendalls as a first officer. I even talked to Don Kendall. He was blunt on the phone and told me he would not embarrass his young captains by having an old bloke like me with them in the cockpit. He then added salt into the wound by saying sneeringly that in any case he doubted at my age I could lift passenger suitcases into the hold.
Similar attitude when I applied to an MU2 operator. His reply was that being on the 737 I would not have the ability to fly single pilot IFR and in any case, being ex RAAF, I would expect too much of the serviceability of the aircraft. Then going back a few decades to 1956 I had an interview with Ansett. I was then 24 with RAAF experience including over 1000 hours command on four-engine bombers. Thanks, but no thanks. Reason given? I was too old for Ansett at age 24 and in any case Ansett preferred GA pilots to ex RAAF.