They've also made it clear that the 50 seat market isn't as dead as others have predicted. This evidenced by them pulling cheap 50 seat CRJ-200s out of the desert.
Old CRJ-200's are anything but "cheap". They are very expensive to maintain, much more than originally forecasted by Bombardier.
And actually SkyWest has been clear that they want to trim down the 50 seat and below category.
This year, SkyWest has already
cut their CRJ-200 flight hours by around 7% as compared to last year, and further reductions are planned through the rest of the year.
They are of course contractually obligated to fly certain routes with certain equipment -- even if such routes are currently operating at loss.
Yes in the long term there is a question for replacement of the 50-seat class. But I don't see SkyWest buying
new 50-seat jets from Bombardier or anyone else. At least not anytime soon.
So I think from the manufacturer's perspective, the business case for 50 seat jets is just not there.