NM - I have made it quite clear that the information I published was received from someone in a senior position in the company. With their permission, I have published the gist of our conversation. It is, in my judgement, good to hear both perspectives. I can assure you that I am personally unhappy to see any base closures and feel there is still scope to change the working patterns there in order to avoid closures. I am, however, able to see the power of the management argument in the face of the economic realities. It is quite clear that the margins at East Mids are wafer thin - as they are for Ryanair too. The difference is that the flexibility they get from their crews make it viable - albeit only just. I am totally committed to our success as a company and it pleases me not one bit to recognise that Ryanair's structure is better than ours in this case. It is nonetheless the reality and future negotiations about a possible way back for East Mids needs to take account of these facts.
Captain Prop - you have elected to leave easyJet and I wish you well wherever you are. You are nonetheless completely wrong in how you perceive this forum. If you only want a rant from the disaffected and disenchanted then be my guest. I personally like to hear from all members of the aviation world, and in the stuation we are discussing here the views of management are absolutely critical - like it or not they are the ones who call the shots. No one is asking you to agree with the view that I have passed on, but that is nonetheless the view that has prevailed. I would strongly suggest to you that these views are in everyone's best interest to hear. I am no happier than anyone else about this situation but I have taken a view on this - that is that it is good to hear all sides of the argument. I leave it to others to decide which view they take.