Either way he is onto a good thing because he has nothing to lose and plenty to gain.

What hits people like me who really want to fly but cannot take the low pay is that we can make so much elsewhere. We cannot take an 85% paycut to go join a regional. 23 year olds and retirees do not have this dilemma which makes them prime candidates for low paying, fun, enriching, and for the younger ones hopefully lucrative flying when their number comes up.