"What's the solution? I don't know. The only thing I can think of that might bring those lifer guys onboard would be for Cal-nited to say offer seniority numbers to every single UAX pilot as they take back all RJ scope. Even that might not be enough...20+ years regional CA's get paid better and have better QOL than UA/CO new hires."

That would be a tough sell to those who left behind 10+ years of seniority at the regional, to make the move to a major, only to lose out on seniority to the guy who never tried to better himself at the regional.

I think you're on the right track, but I don't see a major flying a 50 seat A/C ever, even at the regional level, this plane is proving hard to make a profit. I can see 90 seat lift replacing 70 seat lift. The regional will never go away, there will always be a place in the structure for small short hop feed into super hubs. But the 7000 pilot regionals that are being formed today, aren't being created by management to get even bigger, they are hedges against future scope. SKYW isn't buying XJT because they believe 50 seat lift is over, they are eliminating competetion in the future should scope restrict their 70 seat growth.

Ultimately the lifer at the regional, never has to leave. But his larger better paying equipment might. So while the lifer can stay till 65 at the regional, the non-lifer would have much better job prospects in the future if this were to take place.