First thing to do, take everything you read on here with a grain of salt. Most of the "facts" are just strong opinions by guys and gals that really, really hope they are true! I'd say choose the airline that you would feel most comfortable with for years to come. Chasing a quick upgrade or a type rating is a gamble. There are a lot of people sitting at regionals right now in their 10th year that chose to go there for a quick step to the bigs and for many reasons it just didn't happen. It's all turbine time! QOL is the main thing you should be considering. Weigh your pros and cons, pick one, close your eyes and step forward. If you're lucky, it will work out just right! And if you're curious about financial standings of the companies, for the sake of your future, do NOT get your info on here. There have been a lot of articles written about the doomed regional industry in the last 6 months or so and most tend to favor Skywest Inc. coming out on top. But it's a fluid industry that can turn in a heartbeat.