Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

BASIS OF PRESENTATION, CONSOLIDATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

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BASIS OF PRESENTATION, CONSOLIDATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
6 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2020
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
BASIS OF PRESENTATION, CONSOLIDATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES BASIS OF PRESENTATION, CONSOLIDATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
The condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Bristow Group Inc. and its consolidated entities. On January 23, 2020, Era Group Inc. (“Era”), Ruby Redux Merger Sub, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Era (“Merger Sub”) and Bristow Group Inc. (“Old Bristow”) entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger, as amended on April 22, 2020 (the “Merger Agreement”). On June 11, 2020, the merger (the “Merger”) contemplated by the Merger Agreement was consummated and Merger Sub merged with and into Old Bristow, with Old Bristow continuing as the surviving corporation and as a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Era. Following the Merger, Era changed its name to Bristow Group Inc., and Old Bristow changed its name to Bristow Holdings U.S. Inc. Unless the context otherwise indicates, in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, references to:
the “Company”, “Combined Company,” “Bristow”,  “we”, “us” and “our” refer to the entity currently known as Bristow Group Inc. and formerly known as Era Group Inc., together with all of its current subsidiaries;
“Old Bristow” refers to the entity formerly known as Bristow Group Inc. and now known as Bristow Holdings U.S. Inc., together with its subsidiaries prior to the consummation of the Merger; and
“Era” refers to Era Group Inc. (currently known as Bristow Group Inc., the parent of the Combined Company) and its subsidiaries prior to consummation of the Merger.
Pursuant to the United States (“U.S.”) generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), the Merger was accounted for as an acquisition by Old Bristow of Era even though Era was the legal acquirer and remained the ultimate parent of the Combined Company. As a result, upon the closing of the Merger, Old Bristow’s historical financial statements replaced Era’s historical financial statements for all periods prior to the completion of the  Merger, and the financial condition, results of operations, comprehensive income and cash flows of Era have been included in those financial statements since June 12, 2020. Any reference to comparative period disclosures in the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q refers to Old Bristow.
Effective upon the closing of the Merger, the Company changed its fiscal year-end from December 31 to March 31, to correspond with Old Bristow’s fiscal year-end. The Company’s fiscal year ends March 31, and fiscal years are referenced based on the end of such period. Therefore, the fiscal year ending March 31, 2021 is referred to as “fiscal year 2021”.
The condensed consolidated financial information for the three and six months ended September 30, 2020 (Successor) and September 30, 2019 (Predecessor) has been prepared by the Company in accordance with GAAP and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC for interim financial information reporting on Quarterly Form 10-Q and Regulation S-X. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP in the United States (“U.S.”) have been condensed or omitted from that which would appear in the annual consolidated financial statements. These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and related notes thereto included in the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020 (the “fiscal year 2020 Financial Statements”) filed with the  Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on June 17, 2020, referred to hereafter as the “ Financial Statement Form 8-K”.
The preparation of these financial statements and accompanying footnotes requires the Company to make estimates and assumptions; however, they include all adjustments of a normal recurring nature which, in the opinion of management, are necessary for a fair presentation of the condensed consolidated balance sheet, the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss, the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows and the condensed consolidated statements of changes in stockholders’ investment and mezzanine equity.  Operating results for the interim period presented are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the entire fiscal year. 
The condensed consolidated financial information found on this Quarterly Form 10-Q has not been audited by the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm.
Basis of Consolidation
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Bristow Group Inc., its wholly and majority-owned subsidiaries and entities that meet the criteria of variable interest entities (“VIEs”) of which the Company is the primary beneficiary. All significant inter-company accounts and transactions are eliminated in consolidation.
Coronavirus Update
The outbreak of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) caused a significant decrease in oil and natural gas prices resulting from demand weakness and over supply and also caused significant disruptions and volatility in the global marketplace in calendar year 2020.  These conditions are expected to continue for at least the near future. The depressed oil and natural gas price environment was initially exacerbated by decisions by large oil producing countries that have now been altered, but the resolution has not led to a meaningful increase in oil and gas prices, which remain below historical averages. For additional information, see Part II Item 1A “Risk Factors” and the “Recent Developments” section of Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”).
Emergence from Voluntary Reorganization under Chapter 11
On May 11, 2019 (the “Petition Date”), Old Bristow and certain of its subsidiaries (collectively the “Debtors”) filed voluntary petitions (the “Chapter 11 Cases”) in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division (the “Bankruptcy Court”) seeking relief under Chapter 11 of Title 11 of the U.S. Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”). The Debtors’ Chapter 11 Cases were jointly administered under the caption In re: Bristow Group Inc., et al., Main Case No. 19-32713. During the pendency of the Chapter 11 Cases, the Debtors continued to operate their businesses and manage their properties as “debtors-in-possession” under the jurisdiction of the Bankruptcy Court and in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Bankruptcy Code and orders of the Bankruptcy Court. On August 1, 2019, the Debtors filed with the Bankruptcy Court their Joint Chapter 11 Plan of Reorganization, and on August 20, 2019, the Debtors filed their Amended Joint Chapter 11 Plan of Reorganization (as further modified on August 22, 2019, the “Amended Plan”) and the related Disclosure Statement (as further modified on August 22, 2019, the “Amended Disclosure Statement”). On October 8, 2019, the Bankruptcy Court entered an order approving the Amended Disclosure Statement and confirming the Amended Plan. The effective date of the Amended Plan (the “Effective Date”) occurred on October 31, 2019 at which point the Debtors emerged from the Chapter 11 Cases.  Claims under the Bankruptcy Court approved debtor in possession (DIP) financing Old Bristow obtained while in bankruptcy were settled with the issuance of new common stock (the “Old Bristow Common Stock”) and new preferred stock (the “Old Bristow Preferred Stock”), both at a par of $0.0001, pursuant to the Amended Plan.   
Upon Old Bristow’s emergence from bankruptcy, Old Bristow adopted fresh-start accounting in accordance with provisions of the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) No. 852, “Reorganizations” (“ASC 852”), which resulted in Old Bristow becoming a new entity for financial reporting purposes on the Effective Date. Upon the adoption of fresh-start accounting, the Company’s assets and liabilities were recorded at their fair values as of the fresh-start reporting date, October 31, 2019. As a result of the adoption of fresh-start accounting, Old Bristow’s consolidated financial statements subsequent to October 31, 2019 may not be comparable to the consolidated financial statements prior to October 31, 2019. In this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, references to:
“Predecessor” refer to Old Bristow on and prior to October 31, 2019; and
“Successor” refer to the reorganized Old Bristow on and after November 1, 2019 until completion of the Merger and after completion of the Merger refer to the Combined Company.
Current Expected Credit Losses (“CECL”)
The Company’s customers are primarily international, independent and major integrated exploration, development and production companies, third party helicopter operators and government agencies. The Company designates trade receivables as a single pool of assets based on their short-term nature, similar customer base and risk characteristics. Customers are typically granted credit on a short-term basis, and related credit risks are considered minimal. The Company conducts periodic quantitative and qualitative analysis on historic customer payment trends, customer credit ratings and foreseeable economic conditions. Historically, losses on trade receivables have been immaterial and uncorrelated to each other. Based on these analyses, the Company decides if additional reserve amounts are needed against the trade receivables asset pool on a case by case basis. Trade receivables are deemed uncollectible and removed from accounts receivable and the allowance for doubtful accounts when collection efforts have been exhausted. As of September 30, 2020 (Successor), the Company did not reserve any additional amounts for CECL.
As of September 30 and March 31, 2020 (Successor), the allowance for doubtful accounts related to accounts receivables was $1.3 million and $0.4 million, respectively, and primarily related to a customer in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.
Guarantors of Securities
In March 2020, the SEC amended Rule 3-10 and 3-16 of Regulation S-X, CFR 210.1-01 through 210.3-16, regarding financial disclosure requirements for debt securities issued in registered offerings involving subsidiaries of the registrant as either issuers or guarantors. This amended rule narrows the circumstances that require separate financial statements or summarized financial disclosures of issuers and subsidiary guarantors and simplifies the summarized disclosures required in lieu of those statements. Under the new rule, comparative period information is no longer required. As a result of this amended rule, the Company has included narrative disclosures in lieu of separate financial statements. The Company has early adopted this new rule and has elected to provide the simplified disclosure related to its 7.750% Senior Notes due 2022 within the MD&A.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
The Company considers the applicability and impact of all accounting standard updates (“ASUs”). ASUs not listed below were assessed and determined to be either not applicable or are expected to have minimal impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position or results of operations.
Adopted
In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, 2019-04, “Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments” (ASU No. 2016-13), which sets forth the current expected credit loss model, a new forward-looking impairment model for certain financial instruments based on expected losses rather than incurred losses.  The ASU is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019, and early adoption of the standard was permitted.  Entities were required to adopt ASU No. 2016-13 using a modified retrospective approach, subject to certain limited exceptions.  Upon evaluating the impact of this ASU, the Company concluded that no additional reserves were necessary as historical losses were immaterial, and, based on the qualitative and quantitative analysis performed in accordance with ASC 326 requirements, the Company determined there was no reasonable expectation of credit losses associated with the Company’s trade receivables in the foreseeable future. ASU No. 2016-13 was adopted effective April 1, 2020, and such adoption did not have a material impact on the condensed consolidated financial statements.
In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13, “Fair Value Measurements” (Topic 820) modifying the disclosure requirements on fair value measurements. The amendment modifies, removes, and adds several disclosure requirements on fair value measurements in ASC 820, Fair Value Measurement. The amendment will be effective for the Company in fiscal year 2022, and early adoption is permitted. This disclosure requirement was adopted effective April 1, 2020 prospectively, and such adoption did not have a material impact on its condensed consolidated financial statements.
In August 2018, the FASB modified ASU No. 2018-14, “Compensation—Retirement Benefits—Defined Benefit Plans” (Subtopic 715-20), for changes to disclosure requirements for employers that sponsor defined benefit pension plans. Certain disclosure requirements were removed and certain disclosure requirements were added. The amendment also clarifies disclosure requirements for projected benefit obligations and accumulated benefit obligations in excess of respective plan assets. The amendment is effective beginning in the Company’s fiscal year 2021 financial statements, and early adoption is permitted. This disclosure requirement was adopted effective April 1, 2020 by removing the weighted-average expected long-term rate of return on assets in this Quarterly Report. Annual disclosure requirements will be reflected in the Annual Report.
In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-15, “Intangibles-Goodwill and Other-Internal-Use Software” (Subtopic
350-40), providing guidance that addresses the accounting for implementation costs associated with a hosted service. The guidance provides that implementation costs be evaluated for capitalization using the same criteria as that used for internal-use software development costs, with amortization expense being recorded in the same income statement expense line as the hosted service costs and over the expected term of the hosting arrangement. The amendment is effective beginning in fiscal year 2021 financial statements, and early adoption is permitted. The guidance will be applied either retrospectively or prospectively to all implementation costs incurred after the date of adoption. This disclosure requirement was adopted effective April 1, 2020 prospectively, and such adoption did not have a material impact on its condensed consolidated financial statements.
In October 2018, the FASB amended ASU No. 2018-17, “Targeted Improvements to Related Party Guidance for Variable Interest Entities” (Topic 810), the guidance for determining whether a decision-making fee is a variable interest. The amendments require organizations to consider indirect interests held through related parties under common control on a proportional basis rather than as the equivalent of a direct interest in its entirety (as currently required in generally accepted accounting principles). Therefore, these amendments likely will result in more decision makers not consolidating VIEs. This amendment is effective beginning in the Company’s fiscal year 2021 financial statements, and early adoption is permitted. This disclosure requirement was adopted effective April 1, 2020, and such adoption did not have a material impact on the condensed consolidated financial statements.
In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-03, “Codification Improvements to Financial Instruments”, which makes improvements to financial instruments guidance. The standard is effective immediately for certain amendments and for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. This accounting guidance was adopted effective April 1, 2020, and such adoption did not have a material impact on the condensed consolidated financial statements.
Not Yet Adopted
In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, “Income Taxes” (Topic 740), new guidance to simplify the accounting for income taxes, which eliminates certain exceptions for recognizing deferred taxes for investments, performing intraperiod allocation and calculating income taxes in interim periods. This ASU also includes guidance to reduce complexity in certain areas, including recognizing deferred taxes for tax goodwill and allocating taxes to members of a consolidated group. The standard will be effective for the Company in fiscal year 2022 and early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the effect this accounting guidance will have on its consolidated financial statements.
In January 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-01, “Investments-Equity Securities” (Topic 321), “Investments-Equity Method and Joint Ventures” Topic 323 and “Derivatives and Hedging” Topic 815 (ASU No. 2020-01) as an update to ASU No. 2016-01 “Financial Instruments-Overall”, further clarifying certain interactions between the guidance to account for certain equity securities under Topic 321, 323 and 815, and improve current GAAP by reducing diversity in practice and increasing comparability of accounting. The standard will be effective for the Company in fiscal year 2022, and early adoption is permitted. The Company has not yet adopted this accounting guidance and is currently evaluating the effect this accounting guidance will have on its consolidated financial statements.
In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-04, “Reference Rate Reform” (Topic 848). The guidance is intended to provide optional expedients and exceptions for applying GAAP to contracts, hedging relationships and other transactions to ease the financial reporting burdens related to the expected market transition from the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) and other interbank offered rates to alternative reference rates. The standard will be effective for the Company in fiscal year 2022. The Company has not yet adopted this accounting guidance and is currently evaluating the effect this accounting guidance will have on its consolidated financial statements.
In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-06, “Debt - Debt with Conversion and Other Options” (Subtopic 470-20) and “Derivatives and Hedging - Contracts in Entity's Own Equity” (Topic 815) as a means of simplifying and reducing the number of accounting models for convertible debt instruments and convertible preferred stock. The ASU also amends the guidance for derivatives scope exception for contracts in an entity's own equity. The goal being to reduce differences in accounting for similar contracts between different companies that are accounted for as derivatives by some and equity by others. The standard will be effective for the Company in fiscal year 2022. The Company has not yet adopted this accounting guidance and is currently evaluating the effect this accounting guidance will have on its consolidated financial statements.