Which could be slower than Republic's upgrade. Add the possibility that Republic opens an IAH base after exiting chapter 11 like rumors are saying and you'll have an airline that pays twice as much to fly the same equipment, at the same base, with a faster upgrade. That could be the knockout punch for Mesa, coupled with their competition in DAL with Envoy (which really isn't even a competition at all). Not to mention Mesa doesn't own the majority of their E175s, so United could easily start reassigning them to Republic if they can keep their planes staffed (which considering that's the reason they're in chapter 11 is yet to be seen).

Edited.