Speedrestriction, we will have to disagree on that I think! However, the airline industry is not the only one where this happens and I must admit that if the non-reducing bond had been in place when I joined I would have accepted it. I wanted the job and I enjoy it.
In an ideal world though, I do believe that any company should shoulder the full cost of training. If a business doesn't want to subsidise the training costs of their competitors they should work harder to make people stay.
Finally, although I have strong views on this issue, they are not directed towards Flybe specifically and we do not live in an ideal world. I do understand that from a business point of view it would be folly not to bond pilots in the current climate. There are so many of us who are willing to accept it, most other airlines do it (or worse) and there are so many opportunities for chaps with a few TP hours to move on. A huge training budget also doesn't look good on the balance sheet when a company is being sold off!