Not the same but, similar, people enjoy direct political control of both airlines. The problem being that these individuals have a chips on their shoulders about employing pilots. The reality being that pilots run the sharp end of the airline on operation on a 24 hour basis. These Guvnors mistakenly perceive pilots as a complaining expense on the balance sheet who need to be surpressed for the wellbeing of the airline.
Of course, mamy airlines get along fine with their pilots; Monarch being a good example. Poor industrial relations are a source of increased exceptional costs to any business not least airlines. Look at what is happening in Railtrack just now for a parallel example.
The sad thing is that, once an airline gets into a malaise of mutual bad feeling it is hard to correct. If the guy at the top genuinely does not like his staff you can't change that. What you can do is employ someone to run that part of the business for you. Things can improve that way.
Ultimately pilots will vote with their feet.
[ 12 December 2001: Message edited by: Son Of Piltdown ]