Hi Virgin89
BA as you say haven't invested in aircraft for a few years but they have just invested 350 million quid in Terminal 5 and revamped Club World. DESPITE that investment their profit on turnover last year was 7.2% and their on target for 10 percent yes 10 percent this year. We are just about breaking even and MANAGEMENT is telling us that is going to be a tough few years ahead.
As for Virgin spending their profits "on other things"...THEIR IS NO PROFIT!!
Our managers are perfectly affable people (the ones I've met), I certainly don't think their "bad guys" but what has that got to do with anything? The companies financial performance is in their hands, they get paid a lot to manage that financial performance and frankly in comparision to BA its shocking.
The MANAGEMENT know the price of everything and the value of nothing. The amount of priceless goodwill twords the company, goodwill that has gotten the airline out of a hole several times in the past has been lost with a lot of my colleagues, and all for what....?
I'll say it again, I don't feel guilty about not accepting what in effect is a pay cut. All is want is a modest increase to reflect how much more expensive life becomes with each passing year.
The pilots gave up NOTHING. They earn 50% more now than they did post 9/11. Their airshare has a different badge these days but they still get a profitability payment for every hour they spend in the aircraft. The majority of our pilots work 750 hours, 150 hours a year less than the industry standard. And good on them I say, they stuck together, toughed it out and guess what Virgin didn't go bust.
MANAGEMENT can prevent a strike. The ball is firmly in their court.