macdo - You are absolutely right about the excellent deal on offer to you at TCX. The $64,000 dollar question is whether there will be an airline around in 2 years time to furnish you with such wonderful facilities. I am a naturally cautious individual, and would be very concerned were I at TCX, but fully accept they may carry on for years to come. People can slag easyJet off all they want (and I know you are not), but the massive selling point as others have mentioned is job security. All the benefits in the world are worth nothing if there is no company to pay them. It is very contentious, but I cannot see a future that involves the legacy carrier terms and conditions for most of us in the airline industry. Inevitably, these types of deals will become less common, but if you have them I fully understand the reluctance to give them up. It is a bit like having a luxury first class cabin on the Titanic - who wants to get into a cold (but very safe) lifeboat if there is a chance the ship will stay afloat? As I say, the big question is whether the ship will stay afloat and I really do not have the answer.
A more interesting case is that of BMI. A number of ex-BMI pilots work for us now, many in very senior positions. The are now watching their former colleagues sweat on the outcome of the BA deal. It may turn out that the BMI guys who stayed are the luckiest guys in aviation - BA security, lifestyle, pay and conditions. Alternatively, they may find themselves in the street, just like their Dan-Air predecessors, with nothing and no one to look after them. The result is as yet unknown, and if they get their BA slots, seniority etc then they will understandably be very full of themselves and say they always knew it would work out staying there. Our ex-BMI guys may inevitably wistfully cast an eye in their direction and think 'if only...'. If however, as may yet happen, they end up being stuffed by their BA 'mates', then I suspect we will be hearing about it for many years to come - just like we have with the Dan-Air pilots.
My overall conclusion is that the aviation industry is a strange combination of the two games, 'Musical Chairs' and 'Snakes and Ladders'. In 'Musical Chairs', the idea is to be on the strongest chair when the music stops. In my view the music is stopping once again, and from where I sit easyJet looks a boring but very strong orange kitchen chair. Thomas Cook looks a beautiful, posh, but very old and unsteady armchair with way too many people wanting to sit on it. I frankly have difficulty seeing that armchair being in one piece by the end of the game. In the game 'Snakes and Ladders' you throw the dice and take your chance. If you get lucky you rush up a huge ladder and if you get unlucky you go down a massive snake, despite being so close to the finish line on Square 99! We all try to map out our futures, but there are sufficient unknowns out there that until we finally retire we really do not know which Company was the best one to be in. As I said, being cautious I rather like easyJet, but genuinely wish the guys/gals at Thomas Cook every success. If they get a better deal than me along the way then that is just great, but looking ahead I do see Square 99 looming up - I very much hope I am wrong. A happy and prosperous New Year to one and all.