Whilst it does seem to be unusual in this industry it's important to add that this is not the only way that the redundancies are going to be decided. There are other criteria that will be 'scored' to decide who are the unlucky guys.
wobble2plank
Are you speculating about training costs and pay? There is no incremantal pay system based on years of service at Atlantic, apart from the senior FO wage which most are not on as promotion to Captain comes quicker alot of the time.
It's a sad time for both the crews and the Electras.