Although I take no pleasure in doing so, I have to agree that much of what hargreaves99 said is correct. We, as a collective pilot body, are pretty much useless at "standing together", individual circumstances and looking after oneself will always prevail. Other industries aren't like that but for some reason we are and O'Leary knows that.
Originally Posted by
hargreaves99
In an ideal world all pilots would be treated well, with good Ts&Cs. Sadly, life isn't like that. Money rules everything.
Let's not forget LOTS of people want to be a pilot, for every RyanAir pilot there are probably 50 people with CPL/IR new who will take his/her job in a heartbeat, probably for less money. People WANT to be pilots, and they have spent £120,000 in order to qualify.
Collective industrial action? Not a chance, are you really going to put your neck/job on the line for another pilot who has been given the boot? Really? I have seen it happen before, there's lots of talk of "standing together" and it never works. Pilots are just not like that, especially when your £120,000 training debt is secured on your parents' house, or you are waiting for a command course, or you have bought a house near your home base, or your wife is pregnant again etc
This is a brief window of opportunity when pilots have the leverage, but it won't last long.
I predict this will get sorted out with some sort of solution cobbled together, customers/shareholders will be appeased, and the whole race to the bottom will continue.
Remember the business is cyclical, and at the moment there is a pilot shortage, this won't last, and when the sector is on the downward slope, people will be begging to work for RyanAir etc, because their parents' house/their house/their career will depend on it.