I have a concern as to the reduction in the safety of the operation - and that concern encompasses other regional operators also - with the haemorraging (is that htf you spell that?) of experience from the ranks.
Even though I am sure that many a low time wonder looks at the skipper making it look 'easy' and thinks that they could be a commander in a few months - regional ops are certainly no duckwalk - and there are plenty of opportunities to end up in all sorts of strife.