Regarding the loyalty bonus, no one should countenance signing up to the company-proposed scheme. You have to remember that you are dealing with people who are openly stating their intention to reduce salary levels in the long term. As sure as night follows day, the only absolute certainty is that we will never meet the required levels to receive the big payouts - and the company knows it! The present loyalty bonus is the 'crown jewels' of our current pay deal - the only downside being that our FOs no longer receive it. I was delighted to note BALPA's hard line on the subject - any future agreement must benefit all pilots and not just the captains.
This is the best opportunity we have ever had to ensure that all easyJet pilots, particularly those overseas who may in the past have seen BALPA as a 'British' thing, join together to win this battle. This is not about a pile of left-wing losers trying to bring down their company - it is about hard-working, conscientious employees fighting to save their futures from unscrupulous and uninspiring individuals who would leave them in the street with nothing. The tragedy is that easyJet could be the best shorthaul airline in Europe if we had the right people running it. And by best I mean the most profitable plus offering terms and conditions that are the envy of the rest of the profession. We are here to make easyJet work - and that means working for both the shareholders (of whom I am one) and the employees (of whom I am also one). The only way that this will be achieved is by 80%+ membership of BALPA. Every single pilot at easyJet who has the remotest interest in the future of their company should join up today.