It depends on their resumes when compared side by side. Hours (and quality of those hours), experience, qualifications, leadership, interview answers, etc. It’s not preferential treatment. It’s who is more qualified. You seem to think the 121 captain is always more qualified, but that’s just your opinion.

My point is that you and DreadWing both expressed a sentiment that YOUR experiences were more relevant than that of a military pilot (see your exact quotes below). Not the other way around. When you gave examples of those experiences, you precisely described the administrative portion of a military pilots’ routine flight. It showed your ignorance as to what a military pilot experiences, going so far as saying that a military pilot could “pick up all that very easily.” It turns out that airlines like to hire people who have proven to perform safely and routinely under extreme pressures that are rarely recreated in civil aviation. They also like to hire regional captains, so don’t feel that this is unfair. Both are being hired with approximately the same amount of years flying (the pay your dues argument). So why is it so unfair to you?

“...you cant tell me that experience is more relevant than that of a regional pilot who has probably had a dozen or more 121 emergencies, countless re-routes, fuel issues etc...I also agree that a military pilot can pick up all that very easily...”

“...1000% more relevant than ANYTHING the military has to offer”

Two unbelievably ignorant statements that show a profound lack of basic military aviation knowledge. I would think the hiring practices of major airlines were unfair too if I didn’t realize that military pilots do more than just drop bombs and play volleyball. If I didn’t realize military pilots had fuel problems, flew in bad weather, dealt with emergencies, and were re-routed, I too would be angry that they were hired even by a regional.