Oh dear B&B, where to start?
The trouble for IAG and thus BA and Iberia is that the bigger a legacy carrier gets the more it is exposed to the downward pricing pressure of the low cost and Middle Eastern carriers.
Can you justify this claim? LCCs don't operate an interconnecting hub and spoke model. Mid-East carriers only compete on a small proportion of routes with a small proportion of transfers. There is relatively little competition from Mid-East carriers for O&D traffic becase not that many people want to go to Qatar, or go London to Narita via DXB.
That is all IAG has achieved in real terms for BA and Iberia - greater risk and greater exposure. Profit is the reward for risk but this is not guaranteed when combined with stupidity, hubris and airlines. There were very few 'efficiencies' to be had and those that existed were superficial - they only served BA in my opinion.
Better fuel purchasing, more secure access to capital markets, cost saving in joint markets, more leverage with aircraft manufacturers, staff savings in duplicated business areas, coordinated schedules to provide more flexible services and reduce choke points at outstations. All benefits you seem to have missed.
I am sure BA pilots will claim that Iberia gained greater exposure to London passengers - whoopee do - anyone who thinks this is great is still living in the 80s.
I don't think I've heard a single BA pilot claim this. I don't think IB have a sufficently strong brand or service record in the UK to pick up anything but the more most bargain basement transfer fares from the UK. KLM-AF have a perfectly good LatAm network and with abundant UK connections are the carrier of choice for those I know who need to fly indirectly to South America.
It's a mass market, not a niche market and certainly not a quality market - a negative thing for Iberia on the basis of my first sentence above. It has allowed BA to re-deploy aircraft, crews and slots on to their more lucrative long haul market whilst gaining cheaper route sharing to South America - Iberia are being used.
Which aircraft have been redeployed to long haul? Airbusses? Which crews have have been redeployed? Are you even aware that BA has
increased direct services to LatAm? GIG and EZE direct instead of shuttling through GRU? These ideas of your don't seem to have any basis in fact whatsoever. The major driver in BA's long haul growth is the acqusition of bmi, which has an impact an order of magnitude greater than cancelling the BA nightstop service in Madrid.
IAG may well be 'just a holding company' but it is (for the time being) being run by BAs ex chief. Iberia are being used to service and benefit BA where they can. What happened to Iberia's huge cash reserves? What happened to BA's pension deficit?
Oh I missed this treasure on the first pass. IAG is run by an Irishman who hasn't demonstrated any particular love for BA, or Aer Lingus for that matter. Notwithstanding the lack of any evidence that IB are being used to service BA, the answer to your other two questions are easy to find. IB's cash went on servicing debt, early retirements and running big losses. BA's pension deficit is still there. You don't think someone would have spotted BA plugging a billion quid into the pension fund unepectedly?
Ultimately Iberia as it is, is in a bad place. It's crews are over paid, probably under used and illogical in their union stance - though I imagine this is a method of pegging.
Finally something we agree on.
Crews aren't a big cost though when compared to fuel, fleet, slots, unused load factor, debts, brand, it's home nation and depreciation.
They are, however, one of the few costs the company can directly control.
Iberia crews will need to adapt if they wish to stay flying for Iberia in Spain.
Indeed.
I feel pretty much the same about BA. If BA crews believe they are going to maintain their current Ts and Cs, lifestyle or image they, I believe, are sorely mistaken.
No sh*t Sherlock! You've made your opinions about BA clear on here many times, and it's pretty clear that you're not a boned up on BA, it's staff or it's costs as you posts suggest you think you are.
I think they are extremely cheeky to be coming on here giving it the big 'I am' on PPRuNe about how Iberia pilots are so expensive when one of their colleagues messaged me saying I'm 'a loser' because the 900 hours a year I fly for a big LoCo equates to 1500 duty hours whilst the 750 hours he or she flies a year equates to only 900 duty hours a year - all the while (s)he is paid more. You're less profitable, more expensive and apparently less efficient. Do the maths.
I'd be highly sceptical of those hours claims if I were you, unless you believe he's the most work-efficient pilot in BA and is never delayed anywhere.