That was 15 years ago when the EMB145 and DHC8-300 dominated regional flying. How many of those are still around? And how much did tickets costs back then? There were also times when you could make money with BAC1-11s, but they are long gone...
Times are changing, and regional flying simply is a loss-maker in all but the most unusual circumstances. It is not as if all the geniuses keep PPRUNE busy and all the schnooks run the airlines.