wirgin, my sentiments exactly. For too long, the management have underestimated the intelligence and the unity amongst the crew. On the surface the crew may seem like a backstabbing bunch of airhead lunatics, but under the surface is a 'common sense' intelligent, united, dedicated bunch of people who make EVERY effort to see the company not just survive, but thrive.
Virgin Blue was recently named as one of the most trusted brands in Australia. It through no small part because of the up-front, genuine, and solution orientated front line staff, be they pilots, cabin crew, or ground crew.
At the helm of the airline, you have a bunch of small minded penny pinching nohopers, who have lost sight of the big picture. They have forgotten where the airline has come from, and just how FLEXIBLE their trusty workers have been to get them where they are!
If it had not been for us, their paychecks would still be commensurate with that of a struggling low cost airline playing the part of the underdog.
Fortunately for them, we give a damn about 'Tom Andrews'.
They might bleat about sleepless nights over what to do with excess staff, yet they will never understand a sleepless night until they have spent the night in the perth hotel in a room next door to Beryl and Arthur Aldridge of Woop Woop celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in style with leather and cuffs all round!
They might speak of uncertain times, but the facts speak the truth. Virgin Blue is doing better than ANYONE flying the australian skies. Customers love the airline, and are abandoning the flying rat and its orange lovechild in droves. There's reason behind it too, at one airport today, the departures board was littered with delays from Jetstar, with tiger taking the cake at over 7 hours! Virgin flights were arriving and departing 5 early, with smiles abound! Overheard a brief conversation in line at the Eagle Boys express where a Virgin passenger was BOASTING about how happy he was to have chosen virgin to one of those unfortunate tiger pax.
The little credibility I will give management is that they had the foresight to position the airline to ride out this storm. On the other hand, with the ideas they had at hand, I could give you a long list of crew that could have implemented them in a far more effective and cost effective manner.
The unfortunate truth is that they are probably pretty bitter about it right now, and ready to implement their 'Plan B', which will (at my guess) be a VERY quickly re-introduced proposal, with a few glammed up high profile sweeteners, but the same grey areas of danger - just to avoid having the govt and the union scruitinise their petty offerings. Don't be blinded by the 'celebrities' folks (see above clip), do the sums for yourself, like you have, and don't settle for less than what youre worth in the long term.
Sorry for rambling!