Originally Posted by
mik3bravo
Well said, Sober Lark.
Most pilots ending up at ATPL levels, have pursued flying as a career which is often born from having years of passion to fly. So I certainly do not buy it when I hear union representatives sexing up their agenda to create an illusion of widespread discontent amongst the flight crews.
FR offer a pilot B737 type jet time and good as experience plus healthy salary levels too. Some go on to other airlines where they can get into the longhaul space flying heavies.
I think the unions in particular and their representatives need be extremely careful in how they push this because ultimately they are fighting a lost battle that has now actually placed pilots job security at definite risk right now. There will be redundancies and personal endebtiness defaulting on pilot tuition loans, mortgages, car loans and so on.
Plus the public opinion towards their cause is not on the unions side or the couple of pilots pushing for more love and touchie feelie workplace culture.
Some people are blind to seeing just how good they actually have it but there again, herd mentality and peer pressure can be cancerous.
i take it this is meant to be ironic or humorous?
Ryanair pilots never asked for a 20% pay rise, it was imposed and the more informed amongst us said at the time that this would be used to batter the unions credibility during discussions on life style issues that effect the pilots right to have a family life, it was never about the money.
ultimately it will be the cabin crew that brings this management style to heel, there are far more of them, they are less tied up in their chosen career, the real problem is that if Ryanair push this to far there is a risk that unions accross Europe and not just the few that represent the crew will take action, it wouldn’t take many different groups on go slow or walk out from re fuellers to baggage handlers to cripple its daily operations, sure their legal teams would go after them but the damage would be done.
the top 3 low cost carriers in Europe are Ryanair, EasyJet & Norwegian, I fly with all three regularly and know pilots and cabin crew from all 3, trust me this dispute isn’t about greed or money, Norwegian and EasyJet also have unions, there is a good reason why Ryanair have avoided unions for the past 32 years.