Apologies if this has already been raised since I haven't read through all 5 pages of this thread.
Pay to fly and all its insidious variants is one of the consequences of the deregulation of markets generally and the airline market in particular, compounded by the current government's enthusiasm for never-ending expansion of air transport. Ryanair is now so big that it has massive market power. It can bully airports into paying them to bring services in. It can bully aircraft manufacturers into selling aircraft at prices way below what others pay. It can dominate the pilot recruitment market. And it can set the terms for the rest of the airline market. The BA cabin crew dispute is one of many consequences of the power of the lo-cos.
I applaud the efforts of all of you who are engaging No.10, BALPA etc to try to stop the "cancer of P2F". But what's also required is a wider view - do we want a society where these kinds of employment terms and conditions spread to more and more sectors of the economy? I do hope all of you who are concerned about this will think this through when considering who to vote for at the coming election.
NS