Wally, unlike you I actually work for the company..... Management is most certainly inept, but those of my colleagues who think that management at other companies are any less inept are, I'm afraid, in for a severe disappointment. Call me cynical, but after 20 years in this business I've found competent managers to be in extremely short supply.
Did VS lay off too many people at the outset? Well, maybe they did, but it's far too early to tell yet. Our loads over the last few weeks have been excellent, to be sure, but at what price to our yields? I have no idea what our yield is at the moment, but I do know that we've been discounting heavily to get bums on seats, as has everyone else I'm sure. Whether those yields are high enough to sustain the company at it's present size is still very much an open question. MY sources tell me that there are still a couple of routes on the endangered list - a review will be carried out in a week or 2, after which we may well lose another route, rather than gain one. I hope like hell we don't, because that will put my job at risk, but that's the way it goes....
There are certainly those of my colleagues who claim they will never work for VS again etc etc - I've just spent 4 days downroute with one of them. There are just as many who feel as I do - better the devil you know. See my remarks above about the depth of quality management in aviation. In any case, how exactly do you downsize a company by 20% without antagonising a lot of people, no matter how good a manager you are?
Xsimba - I'm sorry to hear you're leaving mate, and I wish you all the best. (Are you below the line or going of your own accord?)Let's hope this recovery does turn out to be as strong wally seems to think it is and that the managers at your new company turn out to be excellent.