This is going to sound pretty cold, but I hope the industry in general, as well as the FAA, gets a bunch of bad press over this.

Let's be honest:

There is a significant difference in qualifications, training, experience, etc between the major carriers and the (especially the smaller) regionals. Similarly there is a big difference in compensation and benefits.

Passengers think pilots are pilots and they expect all to be well qualified. From what I've read the flight crew was not well trained, not particularly experienced, and not very disciplined; a recipe for disaster. Add in the fatigue issue and it gets worse.

I suspect the personal injury lawyers are licking their chops at the upcoming lawsuits.

If the lawyers are successful at getting a healthy judgement against Continental (code share partner) perhaps the majors will start to carefully evaluate just who does their contract flying and what their qualifications and experience level minimums should be.

That might (hopefully) raise the bar in terms of compensation as well. You can't attract the best and the brightest at the wages that the regionals are paying.