Chidken Sangwich
Here's the rub pal.
XL Airways was not a victim of the present financial crisis this is one point I want to make crystal clear. It was a victim of one mans struggle for wealth and power when Wyatt decided to lead a management buy out from the previous owners the Avion Group which at the time were cash rich unlike the management buyout team which immediatly loaded the Airline with a large amount of debt which it was later unable to repay hence the collapse.
IF you think its great that your ex collegues now have jobs, why do you keep raking up old news
With friends I am in contact with who are now working for Viking have the view that this is a means to an end and I quote "its is easier to find work if you are in work" and would much prefer to stick pins in their eyes rather than work for Wyatt and his pals. ..BUT this isnt gonna pay the mortgage so what real choice do they have. They will show about as much loyalty as was shown to them in XL. But they do have jobs and are fully aware of the dubious characters involved and I wish them all the luck in the world in finding other employment.
Why should people be worried just because it is alleged that certain individuals are involved with Viking
Err this is an easy one.... Please dont tell me you have forgotten the fact that XL was still taking online bookings on both is ATOL and non ATOL protected sites even when both the BBC and Sky News were breaking the news that the company was about to go into administration.
On its non ATOL site this amounts to nothing more than theft and even the poor sods that booked on the ATOL protected sites have had to wait months for a refund and many people lost holidays in the process.
Oh and lets not forget the sale of XL France and Germany on the day XL UK went bust...Where did this money go?? Not to the creditors I can assure you.
Not worried? I would be if I had just booked with Viking if the very same people are now involved. But I guess your gonna tell me I worry too much!!
certain individuals who have been very successful in the past on many occassions may I add
Oh yeah! Please tell because I have spent ages on the internet doing a search about Wyatts past and present tradings and can find nothing positive.
Lets get it straight, NO-ONE was left stranded
Really, when did the CAA repatriate non ATOL booked customers. And the poor buggers who had booked hotels via XL Holidays.
NO loyal staff were left unpaid (assuming you filled in the correct forms!), the tax payer DID NOT pick up the bill for repatriation, it was paid from the CAA ATOL bond, the tax payer did not pick up the debt for the staff - the creditors did!
I think you will find that the CAA ATOL bond was insufficient in covering the costs to repatriate all of XL's passengers and the CAA/GOV did indeed have to dig deep to meet the costs involved hence the British tax payer did infact pay for a large part of the rescue.
Phils big beef at the time was he wanted to repatriate his passengers. You have gotta love this guys business acumen or barrow boy roots. His Airline is on its arse and he is still trying to make money from it. And please dont say he just wanted to help his passengers, people like Wyatt do nothing for nothing.
This quote proves to me that you are either ex higher management who paid themselves before the axe or you have never worked for XL. May I suggest that you educate yourself with the facts of what actually happend before making such silly comments on here.
Let me assure you I did fill out the correct forms but was still left with a LARGE!!! shortfall along with ALL of my former flight deck collegues.
It all depends on what you call getting paid.... getting a max £300 a week for monies owed when my salary was closer to £800 and this included the annual holiday entitlement aswell which I hadnt taken, silly old me!
Duty Pay UNPAID
Expences UNPAID
Travel UNPAID
And had to wait about 3 months for the money to roll in...Try tellin that to the bank manager.
Oh and BALPA! guys if any of you are members might I suggest you do something more useful with your subs each month. They were looking at XL's books for months but decided with the management not to tell us the bad news just incase we might want to leave and secure our future. Funny I thought BALPA was supposed to support its pilot members. And throughout the whole affair were useless and even had the nerve to carry on charging my subs albeit £3 per month and let me tell you that was too much for what they didnt do!!!
The only good thing in all of the mess was that the company went bust mid month and not at the end which would have cost me a few more quid. So thanks Phil I owe you one.
This is my point:
With headlines in the press such as:
XL directors take secret Viking stake. (Why secret oh i forgot they dont want you to know about the previous airline and holiday companies they ran just incase you have the sense not to book with them)
and
British holidaymakers could fly this summer with airline owned by executives besieged by creditors
The public and staff have a RIGHT to know who they are booking with and working for.
If 100% of the traveling public were to know about the people involved with this airline just
6 months after leaving a previous airline in such a financial mess which other people have had to pay for whilst they are busy counting their cash I can honestly say it would last no longer than 2 months.
BUT if the traveling public are made fully aware of the previous dealings of Wyatt and Co and becomes a success then at least something good has come out of the unholly mess and you would never hear me criticise Phil Wyatt or any of his partners again.
I guess it's all about honesty, isnt that what we all want and deserve.
End of rub.
3REDS