Are you being serious?!
"More fool you, sell your soul to the devil and all that."
Well i'd love you to go and say that to the families, partners and kids of new employees. I get the feeling they would tell you where you can stick your opinions.
In the end of the day, there are over 2 million unemployed, in the last 2years the airline industry has taken a serious battering - so to have a job whether pilot, cabin crew or ground staff with Viking is better than sitting on your bum watching "This Morning" and dreaming about the airline boom of previous and earning £90 every 2 weeks or what ever it is.
Air2bob - your right not many people are recruiting but honestly tell me and everyone on here - if you were in the same situation that you lost your job with your present company and Viking came along and offered you a job, what would your partner say? How about your children? how about the morgage company?
Would they say do it, we need the money or no dont i think so there are better airlines around, wait for them and see.
I doubt its the latter on. Remember bills dont pay themselves.
Put it in to perspective, put yourself in someone elses shoes before slating people and telling then they are doing wrong. Its very hard to make an informed decision when everything is rosy for you - or is rosier than for the folks who are unemployed!
"I also fear this outfit will not be around for long who seriously would set up an airline in this economic climate?"
There is a void left over by no longer having XL, and other airlines who went bust. Smaller tour operators, which of course at the present climate could be seen as dodgy grounds still need airlines to fly their passengers. Many tour operators dont want to use the big charter airlines like Thomsons and Thomas Cook due to the branding issues. For example on ex FCA aircraft the seat backs mention the web address, the pre landing into resort video covers what FC holidays could do for you and the after take off video on the way home was a 5 min promo on FC brands. Not great if you own a small tour operator and want repeat business because a lot of people will look at First Choice etc for there next holiday.
Furthermore if the small tour operator can buy in a seat from Viking cheaper than from Thomsons or Thomas Cook - then that is what they will do! Help keep costs down, keep people travelling and keep more people in jobs.
If you can make a business work in a recession then in theory you can make it work in a boom time - assuming its managed well. And we wont no if it is for sometime. Its like saying Billys going to be a bad parent before the babys born - only time will tell.
"and I know for a fact the people who are booking want reliable well known airlines after 2008 fiasco of xl/zoom." - yes people do but when booking 2 weeks in Minorca with the Tui Group is £250 more than with small tour operator flying on Viking, people will fly with Viking. Prices and money drives the world.
I say good luck to Viking and good luck to all new employees, and please can we stop slatting them and the folk on here who are trying to best for themselves and their families.
noseyBoy