A couple of points: firstly, since management don't give me the figures any more, the list of 230 is a minimum as I am sure there are more. In my visit to Southwest Airlines last May, it was stated by a senior SWA pilot that they have about 4000 pilots, and only one or two leave every year. That means easyJet has an attrition rate 200 times higher. Yet, SWA makes the most money of any US carrier, has never been unprofitable and last year bought 47 Boeing 737-700's from the factory. Their terms and conditions are the envy of the industry and the retention rate and consequently profits are the highest! All this while their pilots are the most productive. Go figure?
Secondly, all overseas basings, and I am sure this will include Malpensa are secondments on a UK contract. Any other "B scale" contracts being considered have serious repercussions and will not be acceptable to easyJet pilots, no matter how much money the airline thinks it can save. Since many future basings will be in Europe as the UK is saturated, it goes to follow that new commands will be on less money than they are now if a second tier salary is introduced. Wanna bet you will go back to the UK pay scales when eventually transferred back to your home base?
With respect to some comments on the 5/2/5/4, remember that this system is supposed to be far less fatiguing than comparable systems used in the past. If you massively undercrew ANY roster, the results will be: disruption, fatigue, instability and higher sickness levels. Sound familiar? Those who remember the random rostering of the past will be glad that at least the current 5/2/5/4 is still less fatiguing than what could have been and I shudder to think what this summer would have been like had the Pilots Council not dragged easyJet management into the 21st Century.