I've not long been back from my hols too. Cyprus is lovely this time of the year and I did not want to come home! How about you Spanners, did you have a good break?
Back to the bulitin board. The bean counters have won. With emerging markets (fromer eastern Euroupe, China,etc) they reckon that in a few years, with the blessing of the FAA and JAA, all heavy maintenance will be done there as labour is so cheap. I say 'let them', and see how long it is before the prices go sky high and lack of quality starts to show through. Also, don't forget the escalating fuel costs of non revenue flights and HOTAC costs, they soon mount up. So when the bean counters re-do their sums, all of a sudden they realise that it is just the same price to maintain their aircraft as it is in Euroupe, but those facilities will have long gone and be too expensive to set up again. All that will be left is a lot of highly skilled, unemployed engineers sitting drawing the dole as we are 'too expensive to employ'. I say that it is time for civil war; let's get the bean counters first!