Don't hold your breath guys. All contractors on 737/F50 are to be laid off at end of Oct having been recently told Mid Jan was likely end date.
Full time pilots being "enticed" to accept reduced salary & or 75% contracts. Newly hired/rated Q400 bods being advised they are on (unpaid) leave for 4mths due shortage of airframes/instructors. Newly minted CC same deal. Big cull of CC @ VNO base, predicted flying hrs for all fleets drastically reduced for Winter.
Perhaps the recent change of Govt (apparently the new version is not so "Flick-friendly" I heard? ) has resulted in this wave of pessimism. After a fairly buoyant/hectic Summer, & by all accounts a fairly busy Winter 2009/10, the business plan for this Winter appears to have degenerated into "batten down the hatches."
Rumours abound that finance for the next Q400's is a problem, God knows what the real story of the "airBaltic" terminal due to be built (and paid for by who? ) in RIX is, or indeed the truth behind the new "airFlick rumoured to appear in VNO. Some have even suggested this pessimism is just HerrF cr@pping on his own/& the new govt's, doorstep prior to setting up anew with the Lithuanian Govt as his new buddies, but that sounds a tad Macheivelian ? or not ? time will tell.
Nice place (well, can't comment on Winter & it seems this year I won't have the chance)but complex politics between the two major shareholders, never mind the Chinese
