Many if not most US regionals cannot or will not pay new hires more than a pittance.
What bases will the most junior new hires draw? The least desirable.
Which are those? Predictably, the ones with the highest cost of living.
Such pilots based in, say, the metro NYC area, Boston, or many other regional hub bases cannot possibly earn enough to pay typical rents in these areas, so they are virtually forced to commute, or live like animals in a "zoo." (Ask any flight attendant, who makes even less, how he/she lives in NYC)
Over the years, regionals have tried to save hotel costs by basing pilots at out stations,where airplanes end their runs at day's end. Because bases are frequently changed, pilots are leery of settling in some of these small towns, because they know their airline could change hands, fail, or simply rearrange routes for whatever reason, requiring a move. So, they "choose" to commute.
Perhaps the airlines in expensive hubs, maybe as a result of new legislation, can build crew hotels with extra room for other paying customers, to ensure crews get proper rest before trips, and don't have to live in parking lot trailers and such like vagrants.
Pilots sacrifice a lot to get their jobs. They shouldn't have to sacrifice their lives, or those of others,because of a miserly salary that won't allow proper, safe accommodation where they work.
