Originally Posted by
JobsaGoodun
The idea of Flybe staff being able to access the same funding would be great, but I guess there are just lots of complications here.
- Furloughing means you're still employed by a business that still exists, but Flybe became insolvent on 5th March and ceased to exist as a going concern on this date.
- If furloughed, what happens to these individuals? The Flybe business is being administrated and bits of it sold off to the highest bidder so there will be no business to return too.
- Many of those made redundant on 5th March will have already received and put to use redundancy payments. Wouldn't these need to be repaid by those individuals if they are to be furloughed instead?
- No doubt there are others too....
I really do have huge empathy for the situation at Flybe, as many of my friends worked there but as so often seems to be the case, it just comes down to timing and I guess you either fall one side of the line, or the other.
On this occasion, a business that has used up a number of lives over the recent decade just couldn't hold on long enough.
What I'm really disappointed by is that not enough priority has been given to regional connectivity. I can't help but feel that what this country will need, more than anything else when all this is over, is not an operator with a heavy leisure bias, but one that is more business orientated to help build a recovery at hear in the UK. As it did in the past, Flybe would've been able to do that and help speed us through the recovery phase and get business moving again.
Let’s give a little credit to Loganair and Eastern as they stepped in very quickly to pick up core domestic routes. It’s only for the unfortunate timing of COVID 19 that has derailed their new ventures. We can only hope that once this pandemic is over, these airlines will still be available to help the recovery for U.K. connectivity!