I wouldn't recommend 'trying the RAF' as a way to getting an airline job! You become an RAF pilot first because you want to serve your country doing what you love to do, and then an airline pilot afterwards.
I knew I wanted to be a commercial pilot from the outset, the military lifestyle didn't appeal to me and for that reason, they probably wouldn't have taken me anyway.
RAF training is the best in the world, and as someone pointed out, your time there may well be looked back on with very fond memories. But its certainly not designed, neither should it be, a cheap route into the airlines!
