I am going to tread very carefully now. This topic is obviously very important to a lot of people, and quite rightly so.
I have often wondered why British Airways stations out in the regions get such a raw deal. Is there some inherent reason why the chaps working valiantly for Citiexpress should have to put up with worse pay and conditions than their mainline counterparts?
I dont pretend to know the details of the difference between citiexpress and mainline, but the heated responses to this thread clearly show that some of the pilots at least (if not all) feel hard done by.
Now, the real reason that i am posting is to inquire as to what form any industrial action would take, and how disruptive it would be to the schedules? Is it likely that a number of flights would be cancelled? Also, what is the timeframe that we would be looking at for any strike action? If the ballot does indeed show a largely unhappy pilot workforce on the 20th, how soon would the repercussions be felt?
Being from Manchester, i really dont understand the mentatlity of abondoning the regions in favour of expansion at LHR. Surely some of the congestion down in the SE can be alleviated by making use of the facilities at the regions?
Tell me, is this Evans guy from somewhere below the Watford Gap?
I am only a lowly SLF, but seeing this thread has made me quite worried. I am flying with the good ppl at Citiexpress on the 5th and 7th March, MAN-MAD-MAN, and the thought of being told my flight is cancelled worries me slightly. Dont get me wrong, i do empathise with the pilots, but what effect will any strike action have on the image portrayed to the travelling public, especially at a time when the Citiexpress operation is facing increased competition from the likes of BMIBaby at MAN.
Just my (rambling) thoughts.
Regards
Alex
P.S. I hope to be flying up there with you guys one day. (only a ppl at the moment)