It's not that big of a mystery. Right now the playing field is slanted towards Military guys/girls and WO RJ Pilots with flow through type deals.

It truly sucks for the guys at regionals without any type of flow or preferential interview agreements, because 3-5 or more years ago, no one knew this would be the environment they would be competing in. But, to attract pilots at their regionals, while cutting pay, the majors had to get creative. Some guys ended up with a multi-million dollar job land that much closer, while others found that job even further out of reach.

I feel for you guys. There was no way to predict this current environment. I worked at Mesa from '96-2000. I was lucky to get hired at a major in 2000. I was youngish....29, but by virtue of getting hired at the end of the wave, and three years on furlough, and the lack of hiring up until recently, there aren't a lot of guys separating me from a 2012 hire.

The flow through a will be exhausted soon and there are only so many Military guys....Off the street hires should be increasing at most majors this year. Keep trying. Based on retirements alone, it's going to be a long, strong run of hiring going forward. Keep your chin up, your nose clean, and keep trying to better your resume. Your chance will come, as long as you take the time to submit an application. It isn't the awesome career it used to be, but it's still a great job.