If I've read what FlyerBeek has mentioned correctly, I might make the case that the college degree requirement is actually the economic move to save an airline money.

If a four year degree is an indicator that someone is more likely to be able to complete all their required training, then to me it seems like "Alright we will exclude some potentially good pilots, but these ones we invest time and money in will be more likely to finish and work for us."

By removing the degree requirement you open opportunities for more potentially good pilots. The downside for the airline is it will likely cost them more money as a higher proportion of trainees the airline invests in may wash out.

But ultimately if you just need more qualified pilots then maybe that's what you have to do, even if it costs you a little more on the front end.

Personally, I'll take the most experienced person I can find.

If someone asked me, as a passenger, who would I be more comfortable with flying the plane I'm on... Alice with 10000 flight hours, or Bob with 1500 flight hours and a BA in Photography, I'd probably lean towards Alice. 😉 Experience is its own education in real world application.

Ultimately, with how much time, effort, and recurring qualification seems to be required to be an airline pilot, I'm just not at all concerned whether the crew up front have a BA or BS or not.