The good and the Bad
I support the actions of the VS pilots despite having just switched our front end business from BA to VS because of the last farce with Cabin Crew.
Some of the arguments here are so valid and eloquent but when I hear someone stating "Managers are easy to replace and many have no real qualifications whereas pilots are highly trained individuals who have taken years to achieve the level of experience required for their role" - I wonder whether this industry has any chance at all?
Whilst some may not like it, good airline managers are hard to come by and worth their weight in gold. I've had the luck to work with some of them. Many work extremely long hours - 2500hrs+ per year not including long stays away from home. Working on laptops on long haul flights then straight into meetings or back to the office. The skills required by Revenue Management (maximising ticket/freight income) is not learnt at the equivalent of flight school, it takes years of hard work. Sure there are bad managers just as there are bad pilots.
For any airline to be still in business after the last 10 years of industry change and increasing costs is almost a miracle and it has only been achieved by management, crew, front line and back room staff pulling together. Nobody should underestimate each others tasks or feel they are more important.
We all have to change with changing times and that means ALL. VS management need to share the pain and gain equally to survive the next 25 years.
Rant over
MF