Not the argument being made here but sure. The issue is there are 16 regionals fighting for qualified pilots and there seem to be more lateral moves by regional FO's than new pilots to the industry. Attrition is high and will likely become higher. The amount of new qualified, willing pilots is low.
Airlines are either going to raise pay or incentives. I'm guessing not pay. In the past it was just easy to lower the standards but now it's a more level playing field. Who's minimums aren't just an ATP?