The shortage is totally a pay thing. People who have the flight times the regionals need are either not applying, or left the regionals for better work (myself included, former Colganite here). I think what we are going to see happening is regional routes getting severely reduced until Mainline eventually takes back all the flying. I think we will see ERJ175 or CRG700/900's that are wholly mainline owned flying whatever remaining routes that used to be regional flying and that will be the end of it. It will stifle the pilot shortage (if there is one) for sure.