I was faced with similar circumstances a year and a half ago. I interviewed at both SKYW and Endeavor. I was a former Mesaba intern and really wanted to go to Endeavor, but unfortunately it just didn't make sense for me. MSP base was the most important thing to me and it just wasn't going to be attainable in any form at the time. My roommate basically interviewed at the same time and went to Endeavor. He commuted to reserve in New York for a year before he got MSP. He is still on reserve here, though at least partly because he refuses to bid the 200. In the same amount of time, I've been based in MSP the entire time and have risen in seniority to bidding <30% in base. Maybe looking at upgrade in 9-14 months, but who knows, I will at least be a senior fo until I do.

That's been my experience, things have certainly changed since I interviewed though. I didn't have to consider the 20k bonus at the time, nor was the ssp on the table for new hires. Don't let anyone tell you which regional is better than the others, they are all crappy compared to the mainline carriers who facilitated their creation. Take all the information you get and make an informed decision based on the factors that are most important to you, and understand that literally anything in this industry can change in a heartbeat.

Good luck, we're all counting on you.