cpdude,
SWA is the same life just for A LOOOOOTTTTTT more money. They get more days off too since they really pack in the flying when they do work. All my buds over there like it but they are also always exhausted. It's the multiple legs that get so tiring, especially when you add in all the other stuff like ground stops, deicing etc.
Anyway, any regional airline here is definitely third tier in the biz. How some guys make a career out of it is beyond me.