I remember back in the day when Colgan Air was family owned, senator Colgan would give every employee at the company $50 on his birthday. Considering how many people worked there at the time, that was a big chunk of change to hand over and was completely voluntary. It was a nice gesture and probably paid dividends by reducing bogus sick calls and ridiculous write ups from the disgruntled employees who were out to stick it to the man.

This is the kind of thing that's severely lacking in the industry today and is one of the most important ground rules to a successful business. Look after your employees, look after your customers, and be consistent.
The regional airlines consistently upset their employees and customers.

Sure, offering more money to keep employees leaving is more of a business decision than a spread the wealth gesture, but who cares! Its a smart move in my opinion. Instead of targeting the young an naïve with a "come and fly a brand new aircraft" advertisement like one regional is trying to sell, how about offering a bit more money to attract the talent? I personally think its a clever move by CommutAir, and I would recommend anyone looking at getting into the regional industry for the first time, give them serious consideration.
One of the highest 1st year pay rates coupled with a short, if any, stint on reserve, followed by a quick upgrade with a contact that's not too bad in comparison. SJS aside, why wouldn't you go there?