Hope something works out for all the folk at Highland! It's an interesting place to work for a variety of reasons good and nearer the end bad, but those who have worked with Highland and truly invest (not monetary sense) in keeping the fleet flying and going that extra step above and beyond the call of duty will know what I'm talking about!
Flying to some remote but stunning places and meeting a variety of different people did make it special! But what really made Highland (IMOP) was way back when there was the family feel that the airline had. It gave staff the feeling that they were part of something where the company was not too big where you cannot voice an opinion and it would not be heard. The man AM himself I have a lot of time for. But I feel that as the company grew beyond it's small 'local' contracts, that 'family feel' was starting to dissapear, being driven by certain people wanting to 'manage' so that they had their own little empire.
Now 'that' voice which had an opinion was no longer being heard.
As an employee working from days when we used the daks and with the 406 and j31 doing most of the contracts u did everything you possibly could to keep the aircraft flying and it was appreciated that you went that extra mile, as i'm sure we are all aware any contract was welcome (no matter how diverse). As the company grew at a steady rate it retained that 'family' feel employing people who also seen what Highland had to offer. But as the company began to spread and the mangement buy-out was all done with the company changed as the rapid growth which Highland was not used to started to kick-back. It appeared to be that whatever you had to say did not count anymore, unless it meant getting them out the S**t. Again.
Whilst the additional income was welcomed it was never properly thought through. And when being told face-face not to do certain things, they continued to do so only to be left further out of pocket. To continue in such a manner was bound to end in vast losses. For a period of time highland was growing at a nice pace and there was a good feeling that things were getting better. But people I used to work with felt that any extra mile they had went to help the company out before was now expected the norm and add an extra 20 miles on top, with no extra thanks. When were these people going to wake up and realise that key and experienced staff were leaving being driven away by them and not answering the cries for help? Do they realise now? Prob not. Whilst this may appear exhaustive and a bit of a rant I feel this current situation could have been avoided. I know for a fact people who have left ,would still be there right now.
Again I hope that Highland does get the investment it needs (maybe get rid of a few j31's to help) and that the current staff can keep on in their jobs and get that same spirit which kept Highland going through the troubled times before (don't mention ATR) will get the airline back on its feet again as it has done before in the past. I don't see AM re-mortgaging his house this time to pay the staff.
Good luck to all!