Geoff has always publicly toed the company line. The little gem about flights being cancelled everytime a pilot calls in sick is just one case in point. Despite what aircraft says, that little statement was designed to deflect responsibility for this crisis.
My opinion..... Geoff probably no longer has the stomach for all the bull****! Personally, I wish him all the best. Even the best people in an organisation are limited if they have their hands tied.
At the recent Asia Pacific lovefest, the Chairman gratefully received the award for the best regional airline! During his acceptance speach he made mention of REX's growing of the regional market and the maintenance of these essential services to the bush. He touched on the fact that these services had been cut to many communities over previous years, and that REX, (being the white knight) had been instrumental in growing and re-establishing many of them.
All very true!
Now, consider this... At a pilot meeting back in August, the question was asked, "what will happen when we get to the point, that due to reduced pilot numbers, we can no longer build a roster?" The REX chief of staff answered that because of REX's low level of debt, and its favourable "critical mass", they will simply shrink the business! We are now seeing this come to pass. But, you 'aint seen nothin' yet!
This strategy by which REX are going to deal with the crisis, will ultimately gut the services to regional Australia. QF Link could come in to fill the void, but they are facing the same problems as REX! The extent to how much the bush will lose, remains to be seen? If the numbers stated by the REX chief of staff, 1800 pilots over the next 2 years, are to be relied upon, then the reduction in regional services will be enormous.
In all of this the retention of exiting pilots has never been a consideration. That of course is the perogative of REX management. The total and complete discounting of this option will make a mockery of the Chairman's recent acceptance speech. He has shown that he will have no hesitation in sacrificing the air services to these regional centres rather than pay the current market price for labour!