Why is it okay to pay $50-70K at my local flight school, be trained to fly in a general aviation sense, and then get hired by a Regional at 1,500. Also, the $125K includes housing and many fees. When it's all said and done it won't be too far off from ATP's fees, which many Regional pilots flow through.

As I mentioned in my first post, I sincerely hope anyone who has the qualifications and experience land the spots they've worked hard for ahead of someone going through an ab-initio route. I'm fully aware of the work those people have put it and they deserve the rewards.

However, times are changing, and simply because those before me accepted substandard living wages for seemingly endless years doesn't mean the next generation has to.

Like others said, it will be me in twenty years complaining that cadets have their programs paid for and received higher pay that wasn't available to me when I started. None of this is really about safety or experience, it's about perceived fairness and money.