A long long time ago, I asked an economist friend of mine a similar question on which regional I should join. What he told me is so true and I wish I had taken his advice. He said go to the absolute worst and lowest paid place around. If you want to get in and get out, you must go to a place with a quick upgrade (huge pilot turnover) and a low operating cost. There's no use looking at a place with a great contract, as in this business, it too often means they have priced themselves out of being competitive -think Atlantic Coast Airlines or Comair.