411A
Not necessarily.
It was not much more than a decade ago that CX was smaller than Dragonair is today. The company has gone through some serious growing pains and done it pretty well, all things considered.
The one thing that has happened though is that there has been a disconnect in direct communication between H/O management and the aircrews. Given the number of people now on the payroll this was an inevitable development.In this day and age pilots are no longer the centre of the universe. Indeed, even if David Turnbull had the time, there are more strategically vital assets and issues that require management attention.
This direct communication was replaced by a layer of people acting as the modem and gatekeeper. They were often pilots with ambition and drive but often as not lacking in the communication skills to handle what I would loosely call the pastoral role.Manging up not down.
Throw into this vacuum the need to slow down the gravy train with the A & B scales and you had fertile ground for the AOA to start taking steroids to fill the vacuum.
What we now have is another modem in the form of the AOA that can't communicate with the other modem that is connected to H/O.It is in fact pilots disconnected from pilots...poor CRM if you will...on the ground.
This is a fight essentially between management pilots and their colleagues in the AOA. It is not a fight per se between the management of the airline and the pilots. More like the students of a school believing all the prefects are pillocks.
As to
PR and duelling in the press, this is a no-win for everyone. Like trying to negotiate with your wife through a lawyer.
What is needed is less
PR not more.
PR can't fix disputes it can only promote a product and a brand.
FWIW