What is the difference between being laid-off for 3-4 months and not being given any work as a 'self-employed' contractor for 3-4 months; or being given 1 days flying out of 5 and spending 4 days on unpaid SBY on the other side of Europe to your company's office = home? If cabin crew can be dumped for 3 months and forbidden to fly elsewhere, it won't take long for the pilots to be next in line. Zero hour contracts are great for any company, but lousy for workers; and even worse if you are on duty for no pay. How did anyone ever let that happen? There's bad and worse; it doesn't mean the bad is good, relative.