This thread has finally gotten on to an interesting discussion. Longevity is only a problem at the Regionals because we have negotiated the pay scales that we have. Why does Pinnacle have a 20 year pay scale while Delta only has a 12 year scale? Easy, the senior guys (who knew they couldn't go anywhere else) demanded it so that they could make $100k at a company that was never designed to be a career destination. People sticking around for a career isn't only a problem for the company though. It is a problem for every pilot who is hired after the pilot who sticks around. Upgrades stop and now the First Officers are stuck in a position where they have no hope of getting the PIC time that so many companies require of their applicants. Add to that the fact that you have to go back to year 1 pay if you decide to leave, and things get even more stagnant. So how do fix it? In my opinion the best fix will never happen.

FloridaGator brought up a lot of really good points in his post, the most interesting being to stop the longevity scale at 8 years. I would suggest doing one better. Pay all 50 seat First Officers $X/hr and all Captains $Y/hr and adjust yearly, or based on aircraft size. As you gain longevity, you would get a better schedule and have more access to premium pay, but your hourly wage would stay the same. The relatively high First Officer pay would guarantee a steady stream of applicants. The relatively low Captain pay would encourage more people to move on. With Captains moving on, the company enjoys less longevity issues while the pilots enjoy quick upgrades and better career progression (thus increasing the applicant pool that much more).