Tweaker,
I cant blame you for going for a mainline job. Your rationale is well respected.
On the other side, was it worth the risk? First of all, are you getting furloughed?
There are plenty of guys who you say are "stuck" at the regionals. Many of them are 15+ yr guys and are making over 100k. They may be "stuck", but unless the company goes under, they 1. wont be furloughed. 2. maintain their good schedule. 3. Continue to make excellent money.
I would rather be flying across the country in a 737, but for the job I have now doing the North Carolina express... its all the same, and pays the bills.
The one thing everyone can do is to make that back up plan. To be on the bottom 35% of a seniority list right now is not a good thought to have..
Well as it stands today, furloughs have been announced, but no one has gotten a letter. I expect to be furloughed, but several realities make me less anxious than I might be.
1) I am called EVERY DAY on my days off.
2) I am frequently the only pilot on reserve in my equip/base.
3) We are in negotiations and have a new union. I feel that the furlough announcement is significantly a political one. A game of chicken and an attempt to feel out the enemy's front lines by Dougweiser. Shrewd move and I respect that.
4) We are within a gnat's peniz of the contractual fleet minimums both East and West. This furlough would put that at the threshold.
5) Mid to long term, this pilot group is very "mature" shall we say. Any short term overstaffing situations are just that.
In regard to your other comments justifying remaining in a quality regional, you make great points. In my case, howeverm I don't see PDT as a quality anything, outside of the aircraft, flightcrew and a respectable contract. That same contract is used as toilet paper by management (which I expressed to them face to face). The future is bleak, our fleet was shrunk 60% after the ALG merger, and the pay, while great for the mission, is a dead end, golden handcuffs scenario.
You are right about a back up plan, friend. Mine is the legally binding contractual language that is already written into my contract. I can only hope/wait for the courts or common sense to bear fruit.
Worst case, I will collect unemployment checks, enjoy my little baby girl, jump in headfirst into my new hobby (homebrewing beer), and ride it out.
). Now if Farrow & the union choose to let us back it might add some weight to a future "real" flow thru program, showing pilot movement in both directions. 
