No I don't hate Air NZ at all. They are pretty good for a relatively small airline, good standards and training, and the product from the pax point of view is truly excellent. My favourite long-haul commuting airline (and I have the Gold Elite card to prove it...
)
The only downside is the lingering union culture evident amongst some of the flight deck, but hey that's to be expected.
Currently NZALPA has a GA co-ordinator appointed specifically to support GA
And they have only managed to negotiate agreements at two training establishments?
The fees gathered by GA members hardly cover the costs of all this but the membership, including those at Air NZ, are happy to offer mutual support to their GA compardres.
First of all, no they're not, and secondly, any union worthy of the name would take no notice of where the majority of the funds come from when it came to deciding how it was spent. NZALPA could learn a lot from BALPA in this regard.
Unfortunately you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him drink. In order for GA pilots to get help they must join up, band together and ask questions in order to get answers.
When GA pilots see any point at all in joining, they will. I have been back in the GA scene for a year or so and have not seen, nor heard mention, of any NZALPA reps or presence. Probably because I'm not in Auckland.
Interesting you discribe ALPA as toothless. Here we have a member trying to show some teeth and you slag him off?
"Getting some discussion going" is showing teeth...??? Lord have mercy...
Why do you think the airlines you have worked for have paid for you to study at home? Could it be the someone like Alpapilot stood up and said "Hey we should be paid to study home shouldn't we?"
No... the airline wasn't unionised. Hardly anyone was a union member. We had an informal company/management interface, which I served on, but never had to ask for these things - they were freely offered as a recognition of the work that we put in above and beyond the call of duty. They helped us, so we helped them. Everyone profited.