Hiring has always been a black box, even when things were relatively steady state. (And this assumes that HR actually knew what they were doing and had a consistent plan - unclear if that was true)

But things are not steady state. AA financials are in the toilet, they're facing an FA strike, they suspended hiring for the year which means that 60 captains that won't flow. Piedmont just cancelled all classes, PSA slashed it's DEC bonus to $15K. Signs point to very limited hiring ... what factors they prioritize there, who knows. If I had to guess, 1500 hours of good experience might be a bad place. The 1500hr CFI's are't a flight risk. And the 1500 hour well-rounded folks are still 1500 hours. Why not take 2500?

I would advise your friend to move on all fronts, prioritize accruing TPIC and get the four year degree if absent. Corporate is (best I can tell) still starved for manpower after the majors vacuumed them dry. That might be a better step up than regional right now.