Alternative,
AA is still the preferred option, but if you can't find any, I guess you have to take what you CAN find.
Philby,
SAX had a surprise extra CRJ added (beyond the planned expansion) and lost 4 pilots to other airlines. That meant 4 extra upgrades to be replaced + 4 lost FO's to be replaced + 4 FO's for the extra a/c. All have to be available when the a/c go online. So the answer is - sometimes availability is a big issue, other times not.
BTW, I am not in management, so I can only give my own observations and opinions.