You are brilliant and hilarious. There, feel validated now?

 

As a SkyWest guy, I can assure you that jet upgrades under 3 years will remain a thing of the past, barring any new flying. The expansion most regionals have seen over the last few years enabled quick upgrades and great movement, however that movement can't continue forever. Eagle's upgrade was so high because I believe they experienced that growth slightly ahead of others and were already very large. Here is the math behind my statement:

Initially:
Company A has 800 pilots

Company B has 1600 pilots

Hiring spree:
600 pilots hired in 2 years (lets say 2005 to 2007) and each company lost 200 pilots (hiring to the majors, retirement, et cetera)

Company A now has 1200 pilots and the guys at the head of the hiring wave upgrade

Company B now has 2000 pilots and the most senior newhire is still a ways from upgrade

Now you can see why quick upgrades may no longer exist for regionals with large pilot groups unless serious expansion exist.