First year regional FOs are paid almost what they're worth. They have no experience, high turnover and are expensive to train. Yes, the cost of becoming a pilot is high, but that's a separate economy and doesn't have anything to do with pilot pay. Second, third year, etc. is a different story.

I think Mesa has a lot to offer with their current growth. SkyWest, ExpressJet and TransStates don't look as promising right now.