As I am not an employee of Viking, nor been affected in any way by the demise of Kiss, Goldtrail or XL, I feel that I can comment on this debate objectively.
Looking at the bigger picture, yes, Viking are providing valuable employment for many people some of whom may have struggled financially or may have had to leave the travel industry altogether had Viking not expanded their operations into the UK.
This point is not in doubt and I would like to believe that everyone hopes that it continues this way.
On the other side of the coin there appears to be undeniable links between the management of Viking and the management of Kiss Flights which, due to the timing of the failure of Kiss (albeit their parent Flight Options) is bound to give rise to suspicions as to the credibility of the management of both companys.
Also to be considered following the failure of Kiss is the number of job losses not only at Kiss itself but also at associated businesses, indeed the speed at which Viking downsized must have resulted in quite a number of people becoming instantly unemployed. Then there is the tens of thousands of holidaymakers who have seen their hard earned annual holiday either severely disrupted or even lost and not to mention the demand on the CAA to rectify the resulting mess.
The point of the debate therefore should be directly related to the actions of the management of Kiss Flights and Viking that have been or are likely to be detrimental to the wellbeing of Viking Airlines.
I think it only natural for anyone to raise valid suspicions of the business conduct of any management personnel based on their previous business activities. As for me, I am highly suspicious of some form of unethical practices somewhere along the line, based solely on the timing of the demise of Kiss Flights after all it is high summer and the nature of their business is not exactly high capital outlay upfront. However, I am perfectly willing to have an open mind on the subject if someone can convince me that Kiss Flights were actually a profitable company pulled under by a bankrupt owner. But I suspect we will never know the truth
Last edited by TSR2; 21st Aug 2010 at 23:38.