Many accredited university aviation programs have bridge agreements with various regional airlines. As we've seen, these programs which place an emphasis on "preferred hiring" are by no means sufficient to provide for a reliable staffing model at the regional level.

I dabbled in sales for a few years, and one important thing I learned was that a lead and a sale are two entirely different things. While Delta may have 10,000 resumes on file, that doesn't equate to 10,000 new hires ready for class next week. Many regionals have come to understand this problem from an intimate perspective in the recent past.

While a company may have a preference for your education or experience, in general the emphasis is on qualifications and aptitude. Given the projected retirements and growth industry-wide, I don't imagine the emphasis will be fundamentally different in the future.