Very recently EasyJet's CEO for Spain/Portugal said in an interview that EasyJet's pilots pay was very similar to that of Iberia pilots
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Is that why easyjet is closing its Madrid base?
We are cheaper and we fly more hours than all the other major carriers pilots(BA,Lufthansa,AirFrance etc...)
But that simply isn't true. The cost comparisons between BA and IB pilots do not look good for IB. You may be cheaper than AF/KLM, but how rosy does the future look for them?
So using IB pilots pay as the root of all evil in the airline is nothing but a smokescreen.
I don't think anyone believes IB pilots are the root of all evil, but when the company is losing money like there's no tomorrow I doubt any single employee group is going to escape taking a large hit.
There are indeed issues with Iberia,and some of them can be directly linked to mis-management.
-We have 20.000 employees and 100 aircraft (and shrinking). There are no excess pilots,cabincrew,maintenance crew or handling agents...all the excess personnel is sitting behind a desk,doing nothing or (even worse) overseiing whole departments that do nothing.
Believe me, they won't be doing that for long. If the BA experience is anything to go by, you'll take a percentage hit on your income but they'll be out of a job just as soon as the new structures can be put in place.
We are giving away profitable business areas like cargo and aircraft maintenance,BA is stepping in.
Again, there is simply no evidence to support this, apart from some ludicrous claims that BA took over your JNB route (we've been flying there a lot longer than you have!). BA are even sending their A320s down to IB for maintenance. I don't see any IB aircraft at LHR being maintained!
We fly fuel inefficient A340's,and are going to replace them with A330's.Not exactly state of the art...BA is getting fancier toys.
BA made around £500M profit last year. Thats why the capital markets will finance fancy toys for BA. IB haven't made any profits of significance for 5 years. Who in their right mind do you think will lend IB the billions of euros necessary to buy fancy new toys? Certainly not bankrupt Spanish banks, and everyone outside Spain sees IB as a bloated, inefficient, tired carrier which cannot keep up with the competition, based in an economy which just keeps getting worse. Really, who's going to finance those aircraft?
-We are actively steering passengers away from IB to BA.Even in IB's own webpage flights that IB does direct appear as second or third choice after BA flights through London...according to IB this was a "software problem".Right.
You do know IB do their own webpages, not IAG or BA? Besides, even if they do fly on BA you still get a share of the revenue, as we would do if BA passengers fly on IB. Thats why LHR-JFK is IB's most profitable route.
I could ramble on and on...this last two years have been terribly frustrating for us IB pilots.We do want the airline to survive,we understand the market is very tough now,we are ready to go the extra mile.But all we get from IB management is lies and deception while they tear the airline down.They are playing a different game,they want to start over with no unions,unprotected workers at minimum wages.What Willie could not achieve in BA he is now trying in IB,with the aid of some b@&€d spaniards.
I feel for you, I really do, but we've already been through this at BA. Perhaps they do want to start again with no unions and minimum wage, but that doesn't mean that they can, unless you help them to do it. Crass stupidity by unions is what helps them to achieve a non-union, minimum wage workforce. Look what happened to our cabin crew.
They hav been provoking us into doing something crass,and we are playing it slow and careful.But unless the spanish government(major shareholder in IAG) really steps in i fear these dudes will win.
Slow and careful is the only way, but publishing rather a lot of blatant, unbelievable lies is just going to get SEPLA sued and bankrupted and then you'll really be screwed. Ultimately you are going to have to answer the question we had to, which is is would your rather have a lower percentage of your current job, or 100% of nothing?