Bafanguy: Keep in mind how many new airlines have disappeared under US deregulation.
And that was before these very high fuel prices.
Even the newer darling of the skies, JetBlue, posted its first financial losses. Losses will be posted soon at AirTran and Southwest. Southwest is gradually losing its fractions of hedged fuel, and both JetBlue and AirTran had almost none, due to equity and cash available.
Read about what JetBlue pays their Emb-190 Captains, at "airlinepilotpay.com", and decide whether you want to join a brand-new airline. Salaries might not yet have hit rock-bottom. The supply of willing pilots is the only limitation. Low salaries are always touted as the cure, and unions (if they exist) blamed for the problems, if you are part of airline upper mgmt-but the track records of dozens of airlines indicate otherwise.
Many of the airlines which have failed also had some of the lowest pilot salaries in the US for the type of equipment. Check the original salaries for America West (B-737), and read about its rescue by banks in Arizona from a near-fatal condition.
Guys/gals who drive the smaller Fedex or UPS courier trucks can now earn much more than many B-737 or DC-9 First Officers in the US.