I fear you chaps may have missed the point of my argument. Astraeus are being used as a 'stalking horse' to make a direct attack on the trade union arrangements currently in place at Aer Lingus. This is a straight union-busting exercise to put pressure on Aer Lingus crews. Aer Lingus are our direct competition but I recognise they are a bona-fide company doing a normal job. Astraeus, however, have been employed by Aer Lingus management to do the exact job that their own crews should be doing.
There are a couple of illusions here that should be challenged:
1. Aer Lingus 'need' the Astraeus AOC - they do not as they have a perfectly good one of their own.
2. Astraeus are creating jobs and should therefore be thanked rather than derided - the problem is that Astraeus are simply taking the jobs that rightly belong to Aer Lingus pilots. This is simply an exercise at shuffling the pack with no extra jobs being created. The problem with the shuffled pack is that it is a whole lot cheaper than the original one!
I would very much appreciate a 'real' Aer Lingus's pilot perspective on this issue. I am stating it as I see it but if you see it differently then I will gladly bow to your knowledge on the situation.