Thanks for (1) acknowledging my issue, and (2) speaking to the point. Any interviewing firm has the obvious right to choose whomever they want, that's fine, but it's how they reject the ones they reject I really am not impressed with and this goes for many firms. To go silent after a cold, canned no-thanks letter is sent to the applicant who just took days off work and really wanted to succeed is rude and has the effect of making them think they are unwanted and unappreciated. This practice is apparently a common thing in several industries among HR personnel, but that does not make it anything other than impersonal, rude, and entirely unnecessary. We also sometimes choose to reject companies after starting an application process, but to go dead on them is equally mean. I always say "thanks, but I have an issue with this specific thing or that, and because of that I would like to discontinue my application process. Thanks for your time, sir". What's wrong with that? It gives them useful feedback and treats them like a real person. As for regional airlines as an industry, I am done with applying to any of them until they raise pay to near mainline rates, and I realize that will never happen.

Originally Posted by Cubdriver
How do you know what the percentage is? And why would 140,000 ATPs currently listed in the FAA directory as being active pilots with FAA medicals, bother to keep an FAA medical if they work in China?

Point taken, and I think most/many are employed in the US and as pilots mostly doing something besides airlines. That does not mean they cannot be lured into airline jobs by higher pay and better quality of life if it ever happens there, which is my point- there is no shortage of possible ATPs to hire at the regionals, there is a pay shortage at the regionals needed to attract the many ATPs we know exist. Raise the starting pay to equal mainline pay and then see what happens to the alleged pilot shortage.