[quote=Little Blue;3038319]Jeeeez !!
It's bloody obvious that none of you actually work in Ops/crewing.
Don't work for Monarch, but the scenario is a familiar one for me.
Needs must, sometimes, I'm afraid. I know it's a huge cliche, but the "Bigger picture" has to take prioroty on occasion.
quote]
Well I know it's some time since I was running an Ops department, and I agree that the "bigger picture" has to be taken into account, but I would never have dumped pax from a serviceable aeroplane 5 hours coaching distance from their destination - let alone in the circumstances of this particular flight - just because it was commercially expedient.
I remember chartering a 737CF from a certain large European charter airline for an important freight flight to RTM. The departure was running late and they wanted to re-route into AMS to reconfigure the aircraft for an imminent pax flight. I refused to agree so they confirmed they would operate to RTM as planned. Immediately after departure, on contacting airways, they requested diversion to AMS. I never used that operator again. In those day your word was your bond (sorry if that sounds terribly old fashioned) and a contract was a contract. Monarch should also have honoured the spririt of their contract, as undoubtedly they now wish they had.