I certainly don't have any room to speak as I am still working as a CFI, but I have some previous coworkers who have moved on to Mesa and Great Lakes, both upgraded to captain uber-quickly, and both are looking at bigger, more lucrative jobs in the near future. Granted, I have other friends working at other regionals who say they want to punch Mesa pilots in the face every time they cross paths with one, but to each his/her own. I have a wife and two kids and wouldn't be able to afford food for the first year (at least) if I went to work for one of those companies, but the way I see it, those airlines are right up some peoples' ally if they're looking at putting in some time at a crap airline for a few years and moving on.