One problem at SLC for DAL is that Skywest owns it's own gates. I guess ASA/Comair could take over some DAL gates and operate out of them.
I would think that DCI could bring in Mesa fairly quickly to replace Skywest, ASA and Comair, they operate cheaper than all of us, and their management is pretty aggressive in trying to expand at the expense of the higher cost (i.e. higher paid) regional operators.
ASA's ability to expand is limited right now by our inability to take delivery of enough aircraft. The shift in production of the CR7 to a new facility will cause a several months delay in the delivery schedule. ASA may extend that delay until GE finds a fix for the CF34-8C1 (they are replacing 12 of our engins due to the loss of turbine blades, and GE has determined that the problem is a result of a design defect in the fuel nozzles, so this will effect all CR7 operators). Our President has said that we would take all of the RJ's we could get, we just can't get them fast enough. We are interviewing again, to build up the pool for something.
I know that ASA management is in a big hurry to complete our contract this year. They have hinted that something BIG is the works, but that it can't happen until the contract is complete. That something could be an expansion to the West, a new larger aircraft type (that came from our President too, so put your flames away), or it could just be BS to get us to finish the contract quickly and take less due to the current state of the airline industry (only to find that there is nothing BIG taking place).
I think that Skywest could quickly take a larger aircraft (there are 27 B-717's parked in the desert right now, probably a lot of B-737's as well), provide their own feed (they already have a network in place), and compete quite effectively with DAL and U in the West. I think that DAL could easily cover the Skywest flying out of SLC in less than six months time with ASA and Comair, or Chit and Mesa, or a combination of all four. Yes, this could all happen.