Thanks for the link, pondlifeman, it just about sums-up the wider state of the industry.
Where it REALLY counts, its "Regulation Lite" all the way, as regulators cease to regulate and merely check the paperwork now and again for a companies own self-regulation system. Of course, the temptation to do and say what the boss wants to hear under such a system would be overwhelming, and the resources the regulator devotes to really checking the independance and accuracy of a companies self-regulation system decline year on year. Hence, perhaps, the decline in support for, and training given to, the LAE.
But thats OK, since there is no doubt that these proposed cabin crew licenses your link refers to will attract a healthy fee.
With purists like the IAA in charge of the oversight of an airline largely based OUTSIDE Ireland, however, and knowing how well-resourced and respected they are, we can expect that, in the words of a well known campaign theme tune, "things can only get better". Or maybe not.
As the "race to the bottom" intensifies in the airline business, pensions evaporate, qualifications are debased, cost-cutting eats right into quality, regulators scramble to be the lightest touch going and management seek ever more outlandish bonus payoffs, (250% anyone? That's BA's benchmark for you all to aspire to), I think we will see a lot more of this kind of crazy thinking and bizarre behaviour.
Stability and safety used to be the core values an airline sought - not much chance of that now. Am I alone in wondering whether the industry is coming to a crossroads where some very hard choices will have to be made as to the way ahead? God forbid that a major incident is the trigger for such a review.