Some good arguments here. On balance it applears that a significant number of Ryanair pilots who choose to stay are happy with their lot - or at least happy with the status quo. Here at easyJet we have recently been the recipient of a number of less happy individuals from Ryanair who are delighted to be here instead. It is undoubtedly true that the travel between Ryanair and easyJet over the years has been a 2-way street - right now it is pretty one-way from Ryanair to the Orange Order. As the offended of Ryanair will rightly point out, in the past the travel was very definitely in the other direction - such is the game of 'Snakes and Ladders' called the airline industry.
There is undoubtedly a profoundly anti-Ryanair sentiment that exists in many airlines. Indeed it is very common for me to hear other pilots I fly with, in moments of quiet reflection, to remark on their own staggering good fortune not to work there. Whatever the truth, there is something about Ryanair that sets off uncontrolled and irrational ranting among otherwise reasonable people. The sad thing for me is that the clear answer to all these difficulties is unionisation - BALPA-represented companies overall enjoy better conditions. Our recent batch of new arrivals, from a wide variety of backgrounds have all come in search of the promised land that flows with milk and honey - and indeed it does relative to the various companies they left behind! The problem is that everyone wants something for nothing - easyJet became the place it is right now by high BALPA membership and some hard-edged negotiations on our behalf. We were not magically met by some kind-hearted management guru who just wanted us all to feel good about ourselves. With the lowering of relative membership, we at easyJet are facing a much more Ryanair-esque approach to negotiations by emboldened managers who, with some justification, believe that the pilots are now a soft touch. It is to be hoped that the freeloaders will come to their senses and join BALPA before we face the same snags Ryanair pilots are facing now. I wish all my colleagues at Ryanair the very best, but I sure do not envy the complete lack of respect that you are subjected to within your own company.