so, why are Monarch making so many people redundant and why are BALPA so useless in stopping it? Monarch are a company that have been bankrolled by one family for a generation, and their generosity has led unwise individuals within Monarch to have a higher view of the company's finances than reality has warranted. Monarch have sat with clapped-out old aircraft and a fleet that hardly grows while the T Rex opposition in the form of easyJet and Ryanair have built fleets of more than 200 aircraft each. While this went on, Monarch did.....absolutely nothing. Even little scabby airlines like Jet2 have shown more foresight and have built up a market share in the LCC market. What did Monarch do while this went on? Let me think.....absolutely nothing. In more recent times, the new boys on the block (Vueling and Norwegian) have also appeared and they too have hacked into Monarch's market share. So what did Monarch management do? Let me think....absolutely nothing. Then suddenly, and what a terrible surprise it is to everyone, Monarch have lost market share, are bleeding money and are too small to compete in their own back yard. Not to worry, they have a great plan in place to get rid of what is essentially an all-Airbus fleet and replace it with 737 Max aircraft at vast expense and with no one actually in the company qualified to fly them. They are also now planning to compete with hard-nosed and frighteningly efficient companies like easyJet and Ryanair in their own backyard. Both of these companies have huge fleets with corresponding economies of scale, years of experience, great aggression towards the competition and a demonstrated prowess in their chosen area. Does this have common sense and success written all over it? Answers on a postcard please.
So, given this tale of business buffoonery, who do the pilots blame? Why of course - it is all BALPA's fault. They are to blame for the redundancies that no one saw coming. They are clearly responsible for being left to sort out the heartbreaks of countless pilots and others who are being cast aside because their company is in dire straights. And when the next inevitable consequences of Monarch becoming a low cost company materialises and there are no jobs for anyone, probably BALPA will be to blame again. If BALPA are presented with a scenario that means the loss of 200+ UK pilot jobs, they cannot be blamed when those jobs go. The sooner the pilot world wakes up to the commercial realities of life the better. If your company does not make money, you will very soon not have a job - that is the rule by which nearly every person on the capitalist planet is forced to live by. If you are looking for someone to blame for this, might I suggest that BALPA are not really where the problem lies.