The Rocket,
You obviously have not been a sqn cdr and seen some of the stupid financial cock-ups airmen and yes my mistake!! to victimize that group because also junior officers sometimes are as bad too. But you issed the point - there will now be many who run out of money at the end of the month, yes I agree there are many who live out and do very well, superb. I suspect with modern lines of credit many 17 and 18 years olds will add it onto their credit cards/loans etc. I could not believe some of the debts acrued by these lads and lasses.
From my experience airmen's messes are pretty busy - it is the OM that has been in decline. BV mentioned he thought PAYD was a good thing if introuduced correctly. He outlined he wanted more flexible hours to eat, fresh food, more choice - come on wake up. The MOD could not afford the current system if everyone actually took all the meals they were entitled too. Does anyone believe that more flexible menus and timings can brought in without significant increases in cost? Get real!!
The new system will cost the individual considerably more to eat to the same stanard then the old one. I do not see 'timings' improving unless we are talking about late night burger bar facilties. The reason OMs' have suffered is that they failed to keep up with the needs of the younger livers-in, whose wishes needed to be respected more. Over recent months I have visited a number of Messes where there is a good living -in crowd enhanced by a Mess that has voted to offer better facilties - this had nothing to do with the money saving scheme of PAYD.
Remember for about 3 pounds a day a service person could obtain 3 square meals. Yes at certain time periods but there was no shopping, no prep, no washing up. If you really did not like the current system you could live out - see how far your 90 quid goes then not to mention the time factor. I say again, PAYD is a cost saving measure for the MOD that has once again detracted from the standards/quality of life offered in the Service.