(OK this may seem like a lame repetitive thread, but I DO have a valid question here.)

With the way the market is heading, are regional airlines still a viable path to the majors, or are they fast becoming a dead end? With the way the market is heading will the military be the only way to ever land a job with a major airline? Will regionals become a dead-end job with no hope of advancement? Or will the possibility to work up from regional to major remain open?