And some regionals fly for AA and DL too, so what? DL pilots fly AS pax, and AF pax. And Aeroflot pax. So what does that mean, one global seniority list? Weeeeeeeeeee! And even if they did automatically put you in class whenever you notified them you felt like it, shouldn't you be allowed to go as a captain, since you flew "their passengers" as a captain? If you are good enough to fly their pax as a captain you should stay a captain, right?

The false profundity of the notion that you don't feel someone else feels you are "good enough to fly their pax even though you're doing it already" is empty and worth absolutely nothing.

There is a lot of work that needs to be done to improve, reduce and eventually eliminate the regional FFD model, but thinking you have some moral right to be at any airline you fly code for is spinning your wheels. There is no injustice, and no irony, in that whatsoever.