Apollo 4,
lets not forget that many of the problems xr have faced in the last 18 - 24 months have not been entirely of it's own making, under the ansett banner skywest was profitable and having a hook up with a major carrier provided it with the on-carriage traffic that it desperately needed to survive.
With ansett gone, the board and mangement suddenly realise that someone in melbourne aint making the economic decisions anymore so it's time to fend for themselves.
henderson has publicly stated that loadings are better than ever for the first few months of the year, and the interline agreement with qf will only enhance this. Staff who are clearly committed to the survival of the company and are willing to increase productivity and take a wage cut to see the company through are helping as a range of economic and cost-cutting initiatives are brought into place. The WA govt quite rightly moved to protect xr on it's marginal routes (all except gel) which will help too. A jet of the right type in the F100 also gives them the opportunity to expand the mining contracts and charter side of the business.
So i don't think their fate is sealed at all, true there is a long way to go, but they have started to make steps in the right direction and lets hope for the sake of the industry that it comes off.