Ya know Richie, you said it better than I could. I didn't see anyone standing up for me when I got furloughed for over four years except mainline pilots. I didn't see any angst and upset pilots at regionals after 9/11 when the regionals when on a growth binge. Face it, it's the regionals turn in the barrel. It sucks, but there it is. For those who take issue about not being included in the "Delta Family," it's not all it's cracked up to be.
This isn't a zero sum game. There are winners and losers. As much as that hurts, that's life. In the inevitable capacity reduction, towns all across this country will lose service. Towns that can only support an RJ or TP flight are the front runners. People lose jobs and companies survive. Weak companies go away and the competition thrives. This industry will look nothing like it does now in the next 10 years. Just like it looks nothing like it did 10 years ago.