In years gone by, pilots, especially in regionals, were getting a lesser salary for the first three years, then in the 4th year, jumped by quite a margin. THIS is how the return of service worked.
20 years ago, how many Jet jobs were about?
20 years ago, did we have QF+JQ+DJ+ umpteen o/s carriers with access to Australia?
No Apache, when you and I learnt to fly 20 years ago it was expected that you would spend average 5-10 years in GA and regional airlines before you got to look at a "major".
Then, as now, you would drop everything as soon as they called you - the difference is that to fuel their growth the 'majors' (as JQ and DJ are) are drawing guys out of the regionals much earlier than before.
The regionals are facing massive (and growing) regulatory costs, massive demand growth (and wages pressure) for LAMEs, and simultaneously a drop in (a) rural and regional economies and (b) customer pricing expectations.
I am not advocating a decrease in pilot wages but are regional airlines merely charitable organisations for the training of Jet Pilots? St Vincent de Rex? Pelican Brothers College of Christ?
A bond, as noted above, is an agreement for a return of service. 20 years ago you could take a man at his word - that is, sadly, less often the case today.
If you agree to 2 years of service, you do it.
If you agree to pay your pilots $5000 of deferred salary on their first anniversary, you do that too
The world has changed and we can either grow up and live with it, or die as bitter and twisted old men