Matty J,
I think you'll find that Eagle has always made a $2-3M profit and that is pretty much standard with the exception of the last 3 or so years when the budget was cleared of fleet replacement costs and prior to major engine overhauls and heavy maint schedules kicking in. I think the last 2 or 3 years the profit was around $9-11M, but the forcast with fuel increases and overhauls and heavy maint has dropped that to just $2M or thereabouts.
Who knows about the 4 day process?? maybe we're just keeping 1 day ahead of Air Nelson and Mt. Cook who are themselves moving to 2 and 3 day interviews.
Eagle has traditionally been, for the most part, a stepping stone company with employees looking to move on to bigger machines and locations with required lifestyle so there's nothing new there either.
As for the sim question, eagle only does 2 checks a day, monday to friday and the odd check on the weekends at bases where a C&T Capt is based and an aircraft is available ( WR Sat afternoons and Sunday mornings, WB Sunday mornings etc) Getting a sim for 3 hours a day utilisation is not a business case to be won, but there are plans in progress, just don't expect there to be a full motion cat D simulator in another port-a-com annex at the HLZ headquarters soon.
S2K