Let see:

DAL interviews these pilots, vets them and them holds them out for five years.

UAL and AMR know they are vetted by DAL, and starts picking them off in year two and three.

Brilliant.

Best way to do this whole thing is with DCI as part of mainline. Seniority, longevity day one, where you can attract the best and retain them because there will be a clear career path. AMR and UAL will not be able to poach a pilot that has a DAL number. If DAL really wants to solve this staffing issue that is leading to cancelations, and hurting their bottom line, they need to work a solution with DALPA that returns this flying to mainline and allow DALPA to bargain for it.

On the surface it may appear more expensive to DAL, but few summers of network issues due to lack of crew will more than make up the increased labor costs.

This ideas sounds good, but in reality others will poach them, and I would too. Also five years is a joke. "reliability requirement?" I assume that is sick leave usage.

We do not need to get in to a military v civilian debate. There are plenty of military pilots at the regionals too. Pilots that want to come to the mainline but wanted airline experience. We need an industry solution, not a civilian or military solution. This is about fixing DAL network and staffing issues, and the pilots having a career path that does not reset at some point in the middle of it. This program does not do that.