Does anyone remember how easy it was to get a job at a Regional back in the late 1990's and the early 2000's? So many new regional companies hiring pilots right out of flight schools with 250 hours total time. Remember how proud those pilots were to get a job at an airline? Pilots commercial check ride was harder than the training they received at these airlines.
Look at the difference today. When I see a post from someone that is minimalizing the qualifications of a new hire today it makes me wonder ***. The hiring practices of Mesa, PSA, Piedmont, or Silver are no different from how some of these early regional pilots were hired. Difference is that the new hires today come with more flight time and more experience.
So, if you are a recruit, new hire or contemplating the industry don't let these morons diminish what you have had to accomplish to get an interview or a job. They had it much easier back in the day.

And on the flip side of that, when I graduated college in 1994, no regional would even talk to you for the right seat in a Metro, Bandit, or SF340 unless you had a bare minimum of 3000 TT, 500 ME, preferably with at least 100 turbine. Competitive mins were more like 4000TT/1000ME/200 turbine.

Even getting a job at Amflight on the Piper Lance required ATP mins if I remember correctly.

How times change.

Yeah I remember alright. All you had to do back then was write a check for $10,000 to Comair, ACA, Express 1, or any of the other PFT airlines and you were as good as hired. Yeah those were the days..

No, it was not easy to get a job back in the early 2000's.

I graduated in 2003, pretty much no one was hiring, even flight schools.

I was lucky to land a CFI gig after moving 1000 miles. The chief flight instructor had a class date at ExpressJet on 9/11/01. Needless to say, he was still instructing/flying charter years later.

New hires back then were basically like they were now - lots had 135 experience, heck even Republic/Chautauqua wouldn't even look at you unless you had night freight time. I applied there multiple times with folks walking my resume in and no dice. Everyone I know hired there was either former Airnet, Ram Air, Ameriflight, or Flight Express.

Now, late 2004 to 2008, yes it was easy to get a job. Lots of scope relief from the legacies meant lots of new jets coming on property. Pretty much the glory years. 2008 financial crisis and age 65 but a big fat stop to that.

Eagle was 1500/300 to get hired in 1999.

Those were not a requirement just preferred.

OP obviously wasn't around back then. In 98-99' the only way you were getting hired at a regional with less than 1200 hours was to write a $8-12K check. I was one of the low time guys at SkyWest with 1200/350 multi when hired in early 2000 and was given **** about it by more than a few of the pilots that had been hired years before. I was even surprised to get hired with that low of time as I'd worked with plenty of others that had way more than that and couldn't get interviews.

Eagle, ACA, Comair, ASA.. all had minimums of at least 1200/200. Most wanted over 1500tt.

Mid 90s you needed 2500tt/500multi with 135 experience for most places. And that was to sit right seat of a Metro, Brasilia, J31/32, of SF340.

And your comment about training -- SkyWest consistently washed out 10% of the new hire class.

That is accurate. There was a brief hiring spurt around 2000/2001 right before 9/11 and again in the mid 2000s. They were brief rays of sunshine in an otherwise horrible decade. Anyone pining for the good ol' days right after 9/11 obviously wasn't there during those dark years. Some guys are frustrated because they have to have an ATP now but once you've got it you can have your pick of regionals to work for. Not to get in to a "back in my day" sermon but in those days you took whatever 121 job you could get even if it was on the other side of the country. There was no picking and choosing and comparison shopping which regional to work for like there is now. It was a completely different environment and I don't think most of the pilots under 30 really understand how good they have it. What I wouldn't give to be a fresh 25 year old ATP again in this job market.

And starting pay was something like $15-18 an hour, after you paid for training...

Well if you're gonna go there then remember when pilots could upgrade at a regional in 1-3 years and not be stuck for 6-8+ as regional FOs that were hired in 2007-2010?