Of course bigger, more advanced planes with a fa are easier than the smaller non apu fleets.
But, I think one has to understand the company's way of reflecting seniority, ie. start off as a captain on a small plane to work towards being a captain on a larger plane.
It is just a different way, compare it to a large legacy carrier where it takes, how long to be a captain on a 747 (5-15 years, guessing), you can be a captain on a small to mid-size plane within 2 years, and a captain on a large bizjet within 3-5 years.
Some guys who come from the big carriers have had enough of the advantages you describe, the locked cockpit door, the mundane routine of A-B-C and back to A, the 14 fa's in the back, so there are those out there who dont want what you described for the rest of their careers.
I dont think either is any better than the other, just depends what the individual is looking for.