SB,
Thanks for keeping it civilised. BUT, I'm talking about sustaining the current conditions. Of course the company is taking in revenues while it's still flying, but not enough to maintain what you're looking for. Why can't you accept that thinking?. .If you can tell me how AL could divert money to maintain the current pilot levels, then I'm all ears. It's not good enought to say AL has money in the bank, the point is that it doesn't have enough, you must see that.
Noone wants to see AL fail, but it can't continue under the present system and yes I'm all for trimming Management levels and getting rid of some of the ridiculous jobs these freeloaders have, very like the situation at BA where you have Managers for bread quality! Everyone will have to suffer pain in the short term, then when the company grows again it can re-build it's staff levels and hopefully grow bigger then it ever has. I'm also fully aware the pilots were one of the few groups who supported Michael Foley, who I think really could have made a difference.
I'd like to see AL sever all ties to the government, stand on it's own two feet without BA or any other airline jumping and most of all removing the SIPTU snake from the company and the current charade of union reps sitting at board room tables, I mean what a joke! Read Kevin Myers' article in todays IT about FR and SIPTU.. .But all this will involve an awful lot of pain for people.
Anyway, I genuinely things work out for everybody and I mean that.
(No, I'm definitely not Willie Walsh, I'd be more of a M'OL man myself!)