Good to see a bit of debate! I am very aware that the view of the orange world depends on which end of it you are at. The information I have given on here is meant to be factually accurate for the benefit of those swimming in the hold pool. It was not really meant to spark debate on the rights and wrongs of what is happening. I, foolishly it seems, took the view that people want facts about recruitment at easyJet. If you want other takes on the situation, there are no doubt plenty of others to guide you. I nonetheless stand by my view that the facts presented are just that.
Portside - I presume from your comments and debate that you are not currently an easyJet pilot but would like to become one. You seem to feel agrieved that BALPA failed to act to prevent the employment of cheap part-time pilots at easyJet. BALPA is not the management at easyJet - they can only respond to management decisions or suggestions. We are currently in the worst recession to hit our world for a generation and there are unemployed pilots everywhere. You have a fundamental misunderstanding of BALPA's powers here. They cannot just march into hangar 89, call for the tea and bikkies and then tell Andy Harrison and his attack-dog sidekick Cor Vrieswijk to sort their sorry lives out. That is not how it works - these are painful negotiations where only a position of strength counts. It will not have escaped all our readers that we do not currently enjoy a position of strength, and therefore we have to fight with the weapons we have. We are fighting a constant battle over numerous issues - part-time contracts being only one of them. I am not happier than anyone else over this. Nonetheless, I recognise that in the current climate we are not in the best negotiating position. As Doug and others will point out, we do indeed have part-time captains from our own ranks - it is easy to forget that but for BALPA we would have part-time Captains and First Officers from Virgin Atlantic instead. Given the alternatives, this was the best of a very bad lot.
Regarding whether easyJet is a good place to be or not, the overwhelming majority of pilots think it is the right place to be at a moment like this. Doug does not, and I presume that as we speak he is making alternative arrangements. I am unashamedly of the view that easyJet is a good place to be - warts and all. The statistics relating to the number of applications we have in hand from other Airbus companies would suggest that others take that view too.
Astraeus is a separate issue which I have discussed at length elsewhere. The more informed contributors may wish to read the whole argument rather than Doug's short-hand version. There again, why bore yourself with facts when there is a conspiracy to hunt down?
ezydriver - I am not advocating the maintenance of the status quo. I am simply saying that we can only fight battles people are willing to take part in. Right now, temporary commands and flexi-scheme employment practices is not what people will put their hat in the ring for. Disappointing as that is, that is where we are.
Once again, and returning to the issue in the title, in my judgement there is unlikely to be significant recruitment of full-time pilots any time soon at easyJet. If you want to shoot the messenger, be my guest. Nonetheless, that will not change the facts.