Assuming that inflation will be 2.5% this year
Inflation is closer to 1.5% than 2.5%.
As someone who has not seen a salary increase for three years, please forgive me for not shedding any tears. In times of economic turmoil we have to be prepared to make sacrifices. It is not just the airline industry that is suffering - manufacturing, advertising, IT - are all facing their biggest slump in decades. Few, if any, people in those industries are likely to see salary increases.
We may not like it, but sometimes it is better to forgo a salary increase but still have a job, than to bring a company to its knees with very damaging strike action and find ourselves unemployed. Just look at Sabena.
The time for action is when things have improved sufficiently but management continue to take a hard line. At least in those circumstances they have something give.
Food for thought:-
"Here lies the body of John O'Day, who died defending his right-of-way.
He was dead right as he sped along, but he's just as dead as if he'd been wrong."