Bristow Australia are, very unfortunately, letting experienced long time pilots go. It’s very bad in that camp right now.
Once Bristow saw the Founder part with the company...."Loyalty" departed with him.
Unlike the Airlines....sadly Seniority means nothing in the Helicopter Industry.
It might garner you some extra Schillings but at some point it becomes a poison pill that ends your career progression or employment.
The Operators cry and moan about the lack of loyalty of the pilots and engineers but refuse to look at their own conduct.
The cyclical nature of the business is part of the cause for the problem as few Operators can absorb downturns in business without discarding excess staff.
I can recall Pilots in the Gulf of Mexico being let go immediately upon landing at the Operation's Base....following the loss of a Contract (talk about no notice, no redundancy pay, no offers of compensation whatsoever).
Then....the very next day the same pilots were asked to return as there had been a new contract obtained.
In the old Days....Bristow had a "Gardening Leave" policy that was very much liked by those who wished to take some time off at reduced pay....but those days are long gone.