Norman, as much as I love you, it really does you no service to throw rocks across the water. Most pilots of my acquaintance here in Air Pikey absolutely adore their month off. Think of it, an entire month! No uniform, no alarm clock, no union guaranteed stale cheese sandwich and tepid tea, no slots, no fuel receipts, no cadet trainees determined to kill you. Old boy, it’s nothing short of paradise. As you correctly point out, month off included, we're still the most productive pilots in €urope, and when you multiply 900 hours by our hourly rates, even a junior FO is on seriously decent coin. To that you can add home every night, brand new planes and all of that without BLAPA’s fickle fingers anywhere near at hand. Imagine!
You've made it plain that you hold your BLAPA in high regard, Norman. I maintain they don't deserve your loyalty. In fact, I would go so far as to suggest, with enormous respect, that you've permitted a profound sense of Doric decency to brush over that part of your mind usually reserved for rational discourse. But then, I know the beast BLAPA, warts and all, and hold unions in the same high regard one usually reserves for testicular carcinoma. They play to your fear, encourage the entirely false notion of strength in numbers whilst simultaneously counting all the money and distributing it to themselves, who are, I can assure you, in desperate financial straights. All of this whilst trying to cast a web of collective amnesia over those royally screwed by the BLAPA of Christmases past.
You are too nice and too good to be a cheerleader for the mediocrity in brogues that is BLAPA, Norman, and if you took off your rose coloured glasses long enough to observe your beloved union felching between the well-padded buttocks of British Airways pilots, you would see as I do, that they subscribe to the old wisdom that a wasted crisis is a terrible thing. Beware Norman. You are being massaged, and not in the good way.
Don't take my word for it, old boy. Ask the chaps at Thompson/Virgin/BMI how they value their "co-operative, consultative relationships" with BLAPA. Or better still, ask the 25 BMI Captains who've just joined us rather than wait until January reveals for them an even less certain future at the hands of the Luftwaffe. Not to worry, though. As of yesterday, we have harp embroidered jerseys for another 23 DEC's for next year so far. Do let me know if you need a
pointer. The race for the LGW base is sure to be mad.