I have no problems with the Americans at all. Just like us they want to do their job and go home to their families, friends and life away from work. I respect and admire the way that they protect their interests through strong union representation. However America is America and Europe is not a colony or dependency. In America it is American jobs for American pilots, which is perfectly fair. In Europe we have European pilots out of work. European companies cannot operate in or around the American continent with a fraction of the freedoms that American carriers enjoy operating within Europe. This is not a free or fair environment in which the companies that employ myself and my friends operate. I watch with disgust at the limp wristed and self serving actions of the European pilots unions. There appears to be no cohesive attempts in sorting this inequality and redressing this situation into a balanced outcome.
We have only ourselves to blame for not pushing those we pay a portion of our wages every month into looking after us. I also believe that we as Europeans will not push or do anything to redress this imbalance other than moan about it to each other in the bar. Until we actually grow a set and do something about it, let’s enjoy the beer in the bar and not waste to much time moaning, we have only our unions and ourselves to blame.