Quite right 3 Holer.
I had some of the best times and the worst too while flying with Air Atlanta. Flew with some of the sharpest operators in the world and "Airshows" that should not have been in charge of a paddle boat in Hyde Park
While being based around the world I met a bunch of people that I am still in touch today, with a few I am in touch about every day, good friends they are. Air Atlanta had a lot of talent hired by the present chief pilot, people with good solid experience from flying the fjords of Norway in Beech 1900's to plowing Sweden in Jetstreams and Fokker 50's some from heavy jets as DE Captains with Delta and BA. Good FE's from LH, KLM, SAA, BA and Virgin. There is only one left with Air Atlanta now from the Nordics that I know of and many of the above have also left. Common denominator was that nobody really wanted to leave but... Now there's the but, the HR policy and the chubby little man with a Dart Vader mask in charge of rostering and bases that time was the biggest cause for people leaving. A great loss to Air Atlanta in talent, braindrain one could say. Naturally the economics hardly improve job security with the company.
In most parts I enjoyed the work and many of the destinations. I would think that 2004 and 2005 where the best times and it was from a contractor point of view downhill from there with less contracts and worse destinations.
Cheers from MOW