Originally Posted by
studi
BBB,
do you seriously think anyone else will buy a BMI full of militant pilots? Do you seriously think Willy will sell a BMI which has taken over some longhaul routes? He needs the vehicle as much to put pressure on his other two airlines.
At the end, I see a way to play it, but it would take a few years, and a NO to what is on offer.
But I guess at the end of the day, BALPA has not that kind of strategic capability, as has been seen many times with EJ unfortunately.
56 slot pairs at LHR (I think) says he will buy an airline full of ravening Mongol hordes to protect and enhance his strategic advantage at LHR.
I think you think that we factor more highly in his thinking than we do.
For me NO says a lookalike BA is born, IAG inherit 50+ slot pairs that we in "old" BA never see (plus or minus any regulatory give away to keep Branson happy) and Willy couldn't give a tinker's cuss what level of militancy or not he gets from his pilots. The point here is IAG can at any time, and at will, transfer slots and aircraft between any of the OpCos. We can say NO, and he can, with full weight of the law behind him, tell us to go whistle.
This isn't a lack of strategic thinking on the part of BALPA. If anything, it's their commendable strategy (within BA at least) that's even got us a seat at this table and some small part to play in our own destiny. Something that isn't afforded to any other staff group.
PS, your comment about BMI HAVING to hire on existing terms and conditions assumes that BMI, in essence, still exists and even then it doesn't HAVE to do anything. Any airline can choose to offer a less advantageous contract at any time to new joiners. It's not something we can strike over and it's happened throughout the years. BMI could do exactly as BA are doing and protect the terms of the existing staff and offer a new contract from date X. Happens all the time in all industries. You still seem to think that saying NO will bring IAG back to the table cap in hand. I happen to differ dramatically and for the reasons I've outlined previously - the company is cleverly structured so that they hold nearly all the legal cards. There's not a lot we can go nuclear about with IAG.