There is a pilot shortage, but it won't get REALLY bad until 3-5 years from now. That is when DAL/UAL/AA will probably be forced to pay for training, just like the military does now.

Delta doesn't pay hotels in training, but i'm sure they will when their hiring situation becomes more critical.

And, current max BASE pay is for residing in China, and coming in as a Direct Entry Captain...$30,000 per year. They will get a lot more desperate in the future: An AA pilot, who knows more about China flying than me, estimated that they would be forced to pay upwards of $600K/year for experienced captains...