I still think the main problem was the easy credit available to students for the flight academies with the guaranteed interviews for graduates at the regional operators. This is what opened up the flood gates post 9/11 and allowed the cheap labor to fuel the codeshare growth. Follow the money!

Low time pilots at the commuter level is not a new thing. The difference was 25 years ago many of my peers got hired with 1,000 hrs flying 19 pax turboprops and smaller piston jobs, not 35-90 pax turboprops and jets.

There were also more accidents. One local turboprop operator crashed three times while I was attending college out west. If you look back at accident stats for the late 60's thru mid 70's, you'll find many domestic turbojet accidents flown by experienced crews, mostly involving unstable approaches in IMC or at night. The learning curve was steep, and it took a long time to get stablized approaches established as the norm. No EFIS back then, it was all done with VOR's and DME or some with RMI/ADF.

I personally think the regionals have amassed a very good safety record overall, RJ's and turboprops alike, and hopefully that will continue.