Not sure I agree. That's like asking what came first? The chicken or the egg? Do pilots leave because the pay and conditions are are crap, or are we causing these conditions? Historically, pay and schedules at the regionals have always been crap. It was always a stepping stone and people knew it . That's why you didn't hear as much complaining. These days, because of the downturn over the last five or six years, the regionals are full of "lifers" and they want to turn their job into something they can retire from comfortably. Probably not going to happen, thus all the complaining. Add to that all the new guys who want to fit in with everyone else and you've got nothing but a bunch of miserable people. I see it everyday.