Allowing regional guys an entry into mainline does not lengthen the training ladder
but...
... if the only way into QF was via the regionals I suspect that many other well-qualified pilots would not bother applying to QF in the first place. Why would QF make it easier for the regionals to be sapped of pilots if it simply shrinks the potential recruitment pool in other ways?
Perhaps there is a bit of "method to their madness"?
Just sayin'...
