If the majors wanted to fly regional sized aircraft I think it would already be happening on a bigger scale. If they DO decide to go after it, most likely the staffing would be from the regionals that currently fly the tails needed. That's great and may be something that would pan out, I would though, consider that a lateral move.

Dosbo, I am happy for you that you made it to the pathway to your ultimate career goal. I know you sacrificed many things to attain it. I chose to stay where I am and like you who chose to move on, I found merit, for me, in staying.

I just don't see that the majors could continue to operate Boeings and DC-9's on low yeild markets. I see the regionals as someone who could represent the mother carrier when the market/economy could not support higher cost aircraft, but still wanting to keep the other majors from stealing their hard earned and well established market share. I see the regionals as a surgical weapon that the mother carrier may subsidise as a means to keep the competition at bay. For your mother carrier of choice, a win-win, at worst, the best of a bad situation.

In my "perfect world scenario", if I would have been making the decisions, I would have used the "Regional Airliner" as a hub bypass aircraft. That is the origional intent in Bombardier's marketing plan. Scope is what killed that. I believe that had scope not have been an issue and the mother carriers would have bought the RJ and operated it as a hub bypass that there would many more mainline pilots in the ranks. No they wouldn't be making the big dollars, but what a network to bargian with as a represented pilot and what a network to be feared from the competition.

I personally remember that ALPA pilots did not want the lower wages for the RJ and rejected the idea of them flying it. Then they were scared of the RJ and reacted with scope and thus killed creative ideas and route structures that could have been used to facilitate dominance in the mother carriers market share and route structure. There is a possibility that this will happen IF CAL and UAL pilots "go all the way" with the exclusion of the RJ codeshare within their systems, if corporate will allow it. Those tails are needed and that will bring the RJ and it's pilots into your fold. Should have been long ago, but I can see it happening in the future.

I'm still glad that I chose to stay, (25 years) and I'm happy for all who have taken the chance and moved on past the regional level. I am excited about what the future holds. I see along the way, as the airline industry evolves that some regionals may appear to some as under achievers. I used the word evolve, it's not over yet, just a slower pace that it could have been had those making the big decisions had a crystal ball. We are all doing the best we can with what we have and some companies have more available resources than others. By the time it's done evolving or should I say slowing down with big changes, we ALL may be working for just three or four carriers.
It's just the way it is today. Things are changing and the future is bright, especially with less less student pilot upstarts. Hang on the fat lady hasn't sung yet.