it sets you apart from the integrated boys who have nothing to talk about in interviews
life experience" and "escaping the surly bonds of Earth" stuff is superfluous
I have always assumed that airlines are looking for value for money by recruiting individuals that they believe have command potential and will likely stay with the company for longer and give a better return for the initial investment or risk
An airline is a business and these days more than ever it is a very hard nosed one
I agree with Bealzebub but will add that training risk is key for the recruitment team. Regardless of what you are told by training providers who are in the business of selling courses to as broad a cross-section of prospective clientele as possible (although Wings Alliance are not an ATO and there is a significant level of expertise and wisdom amongst their ranks), the role of the recruiter in the scope of low experienced candidates is to identify individuals who can demonstrate a reasonably consistent training timeline commensurate with performance i.e. first solo, ATPL TK Exam passes, CPL Skill Test, IRT, MCC, consistently demonstrating progress (i.e. improving as training progressed). Integrated ATO's provide this to recruiters - they make the job easy as all training records etc. are in one place and readily available as required. A candidate who soloed twenty years ago, built hours on an aircraft that the individual initially filtering your CV is unlikely to recognise any more than the fact that there exist aeroplanes with wheels on their tails, then did a CPL at their leisure some time later is more than likely a very good candidate and might represent minimal training risk to an employer prepared to 'invest' a type-rating on however, that candidate does not reflect the majority of profiles the recruiter encounters and who the employer has a proven successful track record with. Those candidates are early to mid-twenties and have by and large attended integrated ATO's, well known to the airline and possibly ones that they already have a commercial relationship with in terms of ab-initio 'mentored' schemes.
Another consideration is that despite the eminently transferable skills that an ex-Army Officer would bring to any new role, airline flying is not what it once was and an individual who has spent the past twenty odd years as a leader of men may find that he is categorised as a potential hazard to CRM by some recruiters. In my experience, this depends on the employer though and some appear to have a definite bias toward ex-RAF types (dependant on your last Squadron of course
). I have also seen ex-military personnel struggle with the very different application of standards in the civil world and even in the once rather conservative airline environment. Another consideration is that occupants of the left-hand seat are getting a lot younger these days; how would a couple of four sector days and a night-stop for a 40+ year old Major with lots of excellent life experience subordinate to a 25 year old Captain with the personality of an amoeba sound? Doubtless champing at the bit at the prospect, but...
older and mature FOs stay with their first airline for longer compared to younger pilots
That's because they have more to lose in most cases - as said, partner, offspring, mortgage, but also less opportunity. In the past ten years or more many younger F/O's in the LoCo's for example, have completed their bonds then disappeared off to the desert for a shinier Boeing of Airbus and relatively quick seniority. Many are coming back now as well. Emirates have a cut off of 47 for F/O recruitment.
So the airlines don't care how I get the MEIR just that I have one?
To summarise, in a way they do, and although I think your journey sounds very interesting and you would be great to fly with as, ultimately, a good day out is one where you can share some banter with a like minded companion, you still have to get to through the recruitment machine. I wish you luck though and hope you are successful - you sound enthusiastic and sadly, enthusiasm is no longer a prerequisite for most airlines.