Well now...
I would like to say that the Qantas employment process is crap and everyone knows that, for example if you are employed by a Qantas subsidiary then that’s where you will stay. So it’s unfair to say you were rejected by Qantas, you were never going to get a start.
Most of the regional pilots I know would handle the progression to a jet with ease, just look at the people leaving for Virgin, Dragon, and Cathay, they don’t seem to have a problem.
The problem rests with the Qantas union, if they had insisted on an integration policy where by all Qantas pilots had a career progression then the divide and conquer method would have failed, but as it is now, how else does one improve your lot.
I really do think that the regional pilots have been shat on again and I would not blame any of them for offering there services for less than a mainline crew after all a dash captain as I understand gets less that a 747-400 second officer...
When I hear a main line pilot say to a subsidiary airline pilot you’re a reject and accept what you have got and don’t threaten my job by bring down my wages and conditions really gets up my nose.