They could definitely argue that. Honestly, with all the turmoil at the majors I have no desire to be at a major right now. But, with the selection of crew bases, schedule, benefits, and equipment they fly I choose them over any of the majors to fly for.
I've always wanted to fly the MD80 and/or the 757, their trips involve no overnights (unless you're doing a charter), and they've stayed profitable and stable through a recession.
We've had a number of AMF pilots go directly to Allegiant and they seem to like it there.
The problem with AMF pilots going to the majors is mostly a networking issue. We have a very small pilot group, 170-200 pilots at any given time, so by running the numbers of all professional pilots the chances of an AMF pilot getting directly hired is a small fraction. It does happen, but when I junpseat it's amazing how many ex AMFers went to a regional, LCC, etc. for a short period of time before getting picked up by the airline that they wanted ( SWA is a good example).
