Yes Keel Beam, the same theory applies to Flight Crew. No doubt the market rate for a Captain will soon be £50,000 on an OpenSkies contract. I am sure there will be no shortage of takers.
You mention a good point Wobble regarding US carriers filing for Chapter 11, some of which have been in more than once and used the opportunity to uncompetitively reduce fares on international routes. Chapter 11 is a subsidy by proxy.
Even the Channel Tunnel's CEO Jacques Gounon sought a French style Chapter 11 under the auspices of the Paris Commercial Court and £4bn magically disappeared. EuroTunnel even had the nerve to say they made a profit in 2008-09!!!!! How they can do it when they cut frequency, fail to reduce fares and run empty trains is hard to fathom out.
British Airways does not have the option of Chapter 11 or the assistance of the Italian, French, Greek or Scandinavian goverments. This Labour government allowed Rover and LDV to go to the wall, where in France the same would never happen to Renault (25% owned by the French government), Citroen or Peugout.
Yes you might well bang your head on a wall Overstress. The attack on the T&C's of BA's employees is nothing to do with the recession, it would have happened anyway. It is a convenient foil for the BA LT. The financial state BA is alleged to be in, is entirely the responsibility if a dysfunctional management, as best exemplified by the T5 shambles.
I suppose the employees of Aer Lingus had their pay cut so that the airline would 'survive' and be more profitable.....now there is nothing to cut away. Just a pernicious ever downward spiral of parking up aircraft and laying off staff, with MOL circling, waiting to pick over the remains.
Even the BA pension fund deficit has grown after it was promised measures taken two years ago would sort the problem out. Whose fault is that? The employees?
Last edited by Stall Pusher; 14th June 2009 at 18:52.