Luton-9
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Luton
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Minimum wage
Let’s remember that no one is forced to work at Luton Airport. I worked there for many years and wages were good. People need to remember that the airport thrives on
low cost services but if it were to charge per passenger what Heathrow does then it would result in thousands of redundancies as low costs would move elsewhere. The key to actual descent wages is for the owner LBC to take back full control so that leaseholders are not getting 50% of the profits produced but that then would require LBC to have to put aside hundreds of millions for any or all future developments at the airport. That scenario won’t be possible for the foreseeable future though.
low cost services but if it were to charge per passenger what Heathrow does then it would result in thousands of redundancies as low costs would move elsewhere. The key to actual descent wages is for the owner LBC to take back full control so that leaseholders are not getting 50% of the profits produced but that then would require LBC to have to put aside hundreds of millions for any or all future developments at the airport. That scenario won’t be possible for the foreseeable future though.
Join Date: Jul 2016
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Let’s remember that no one is forced to work at Luton Airport.
If you look at any of the airport tenders there is never a mention of the tender being based on a living wage but just the lowest price. Those same people working for those companies then turn to the council for support.
Last edited by Spanish eyes; 14th May 2018 at 06:34.
As long as we have unrestricted EU immigration, we will have a large number of people on minimum wage. That's because employers can recruit from countries with low wages and moribund economies. The irony for Luton Airport is that it thrives on the travelling activities of just those people.
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Oban, Scotland
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And the most moribund economy in the EU is.... the UK. Hence there are fewer people coming to work here because there are more jobs at home. Round here the service economy is getting desperate for staff.
And the most moribund economy in the EU is
Complete rubbish, you need to spend a few hours in Luton arrivals and count those speaking English.
Join Date: Apr 2016
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Great for everyone in fact, unless it's your industry that tide of labour is flooding. Then bang goes your security and prospects. And as housing in your area cannot cope with demand, up goes the rent (sorry everyone, no pay rise again this year). Your kids can't get into that decent school. So you and your family's prospects are not quite what a hard working parent would have hoped for.
So a little of the tide going back out may be necessary.
Join Date: Apr 2009
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The important word here is "were". Presumably this was before the dominance of low cost carriers and the inevitable rise of "low cost" handling agents who try to make money handling airlines who want to pay them as little as possible, and who are then quick to defect elsewhere when they get offered what they think is a cheaper deal. Handling agent staff have suffered poor wages, nil hour / part time contracts and uncertainty as they have been bounced from one company to another for many years.
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London (Babylon-on-Thames)
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And the most moribund economy in the EU is.... the UK. Hence there are fewer people coming to work here because there are more jobs at home. Round here the service economy is getting desperate for staff.
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Oban, Scotland
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Remote? Us? We're the centre of the universe!
Our hoteliers, and indeed other industries such as fishing/fish farming, have for years depended on a migrant labour force, not on local kids. Many have settled here and are an important part of the local labour force. But fewer are coming to join them.
I would suggest that only Romania and Bulgaria have economies which still depend on exporting their young people, and although some are coming to the UK, far more are going to other EU countries.
Our hoteliers, and indeed other industries such as fishing/fish farming, have for years depended on a migrant labour force, not on local kids. Many have settled here and are an important part of the local labour force. But fewer are coming to join them.
I would suggest that only Romania and Bulgaria have economies which still depend on exporting their young people, and although some are coming to the UK, far more are going to other EU countries.
Remote? Us? We're the centre of the universe!
Our hoteliers, and indeed other industries such as fishing/fish farming, have for years depended on a migrant labour force, not on local kids. Many have settled here and are an important part of the local labour force. But fewer are coming to join them.
I would suggest that only Romania and Bulgaria have economies which still depend on exporting their young people, and although some are coming to the UK, far more are going to other EU countries.
Our hoteliers, and indeed other industries such as fishing/fish farming, have for years depended on a migrant labour force, not on local kids. Many have settled here and are an important part of the local labour force. But fewer are coming to join them.
I would suggest that only Romania and Bulgaria have economies which still depend on exporting their young people, and although some are coming to the UK, far more are going to other EU countries.
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Outer London
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Budapest is a major tourist draw. Sofia and Bucharest also get a fair few tourists, especially at weekends. To suggest a lot of Wizz-type destinations are there just to carry migrants and have no tourist appeal takes an outdated view of the world. Yes some have not a lot there, but others that are little-known in the UK like Lviv, Ohrid, Tirgu Mures are great places with real potential.
Join Date: Nov 2015
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Many of the jobs at the airport such as helping load bags and people in and out of a plane involve no significant skills or educational standards and so people are (rather crudely) "easy" to replace. As a result, those jobs are unlikely to be paid far above minimum wage. That's especially acute in an airport which relies on cheap labour to enable low cost flights. If the wages go up, the cost of using the airport goes up and so flight costs go up which would deter use. Lazy tabloid/Facebook generalisations about Eastern Europeans and immigration really won't change reality. As in any job, I would always recommend that anyone who's in a job that doesn't satisfy them in terms of finances or opportunities should either work harder to climb the ladder or try something else. I'd hate to think that any of my employees were so disparaging about their customers, it wouldn't be good for their motivation and that would surely have a negative impact on their level of output.
A lot of the Wizz flights I've been on "appear" (because I can't survey people) to have many immigrants coming to/from their country of birth, a lot of visiting families and a lot of Brits taking opportunities to travel cheaply to Eastern Europe for both business opportunities and leisure. Luton is a gateway to many Eastern European countries thanks to Wizz choosing to based its UK expansion out of Luton. Many Brits around London would rather use other airports because of Lutons long term reputation (not just recent construction impacts) - they're more savvy to the other choices available. London is a huge tourist destination to all travelling Europeans, like many of the other major European cities. With all of that in mind, I'd personally not be surprised if you noticed that Luton has a large number of foreign travellers.
"I don’t blame anyone for wanting a better life but it is a fact that companies bid for contracts based on offering the lowest pay and zero hour contracts in the knowledge that they will always find staff who would work for £3 an hour if there was no minimum wage."
Being safe "in the knowledge" that somebody might work for £3 per hour "if there was no minimum wage" isn't actually going to be a point of interest for any law abiding company who will, of course, know they must pay minimum wage even for basic jobs precisely because there IS a minimum wage.
I usually read this thread with interest but it does occasionally drift into Daily Mail comment section quality and people lazily dropping in "Eastern European" for no real reason. Like when somebody above posts that "Eastern Europeans" often smoke in that walkway outside the terminal. Based on my own experiences, the most specific term you could use to label these people is "passengers" because I've heard all sorts of accents, including many Brits, using that area to smoke. There's no need to specifically call out a section of those passengers and it actually adds nothing to the point that people, whoever they are, shouldn't be doing it.
I wouldn't be one of those people that pulls out the "r" word to label you people because I don't suspect you are that, it's just a reflection of the gutter into which the tabloids and "anti-MSM" warriors/brigade have purposely driven popular conversation into.
A lot of the Wizz flights I've been on "appear" (because I can't survey people) to have many immigrants coming to/from their country of birth, a lot of visiting families and a lot of Brits taking opportunities to travel cheaply to Eastern Europe for both business opportunities and leisure. Luton is a gateway to many Eastern European countries thanks to Wizz choosing to based its UK expansion out of Luton. Many Brits around London would rather use other airports because of Lutons long term reputation (not just recent construction impacts) - they're more savvy to the other choices available. London is a huge tourist destination to all travelling Europeans, like many of the other major European cities. With all of that in mind, I'd personally not be surprised if you noticed that Luton has a large number of foreign travellers.
"I don’t blame anyone for wanting a better life but it is a fact that companies bid for contracts based on offering the lowest pay and zero hour contracts in the knowledge that they will always find staff who would work for £3 an hour if there was no minimum wage."
Being safe "in the knowledge" that somebody might work for £3 per hour "if there was no minimum wage" isn't actually going to be a point of interest for any law abiding company who will, of course, know they must pay minimum wage even for basic jobs precisely because there IS a minimum wage.
I usually read this thread with interest but it does occasionally drift into Daily Mail comment section quality and people lazily dropping in "Eastern European" for no real reason. Like when somebody above posts that "Eastern Europeans" often smoke in that walkway outside the terminal. Based on my own experiences, the most specific term you could use to label these people is "passengers" because I've heard all sorts of accents, including many Brits, using that area to smoke. There's no need to specifically call out a section of those passengers and it actually adds nothing to the point that people, whoever they are, shouldn't be doing it.
I wouldn't be one of those people that pulls out the "r" word to label you people because I don't suspect you are that, it's just a reflection of the gutter into which the tabloids and "anti-MSM" warriors/brigade have purposely driven popular conversation into.
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: In the sticks
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When I travel up New Airport Way and want to pass to the left of the Holiday Inn I use the middle lane as per the road markings. 50% of drivers don't so I often get hooted at by those that have not turned left and are using the left hand lane to carry on.
This takes us to the new drop off zone where for the best of intentions and to stop cars having to cross the paths of cars leaving each drop off lane, traffic has to enter the lanes on the wrong side of the road, go to the end, do a very tight 180 and then travel down the other side also on the wrong side of the road before exiting the lane and rejoining the ring road either to try another drop off lane or continue on the ring road to the pay barrier. These drop off lanes are marked with road arrows the same way as New Airport Way.
Just wondering how many drivers will travel around the drop off lanes on the left hand side of the road which is actually the wrong side of the road? Also the turn into the first drop off lane is incredibly tight and makes the 180 turn for the existing drop off zone seem like a gentle curve. I am also thinking that most cars will enter the first drop off lane and ignore the other 4.
Last edited by LTNman; 14th May 2018 at 23:08.
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Could not agree more Manx. Recently Man Sahib had to go into hospital rather quickly when we were in the UK (we do have a base on the South Coast) and the service and staff (mostly non-Brits) were excellent. If you want to curtail immigration be careful what you wish for i.e. NHS, fruit and vegetable picking etc because me thinks there are an awful lot of Brits who will not get off there backsides and fill those posts.
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Firefighters, security & airport operations staff would not necessarily fall into the minimum wage category. When the firefighters strike for 24 hours from 0700 on Friday 25 May, in theory, the airport will also close unless some pretty robust contingency measures are introduced that satisfy the CAA? Not too sure if things have changed, but all management at the fire station were trade union members.
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Wizz - Reykjavik/Keflavik Service
There was talk on here a few weeks ago about Wizz competing with EZY on this new route they have launched in the last few weeks, so just giving my feedback/observations, having flown this route with them this weekend.
Going out last Friday, the flight was around 80% full... Mainly British and a few East Europeans on the route, going to Iceland for a holiday. Also a few Icelandics too, as was sat next to one on the outbound flight, and we got chatting and how they visit London, to come shopping and pick up what in their eyes are bargains, compared to Iceland's prices!
Coming back yesterday, the flight was atleast 90% full.
While load factors and just flying the route once in each direction is no scientific sign of how the route is performing for Wizz, it is a good indicator and they seem to be doing quite well!
When I booked, fares were very similar to easyJet. But as I am taking advantage of my Wizz Discount membership for the year and flogging it like a dead horse, it worked out around £20 cheaper.
It did seem strange arriving at Keflavik within 10-15 minutes of the easyJet flight from LTN...
Even though Keflavik airport is empty at around 9am when the Wizz and easyJet flights arrive (as all the WOW and Iceland Air flights have departed by that time for Europe), Wizz still choose to use a remote stand, while easyJet use the air bridges. So factor that in, if you find buses to the aircraft a pain up you know where!
Going out last Friday, the flight was around 80% full... Mainly British and a few East Europeans on the route, going to Iceland for a holiday. Also a few Icelandics too, as was sat next to one on the outbound flight, and we got chatting and how they visit London, to come shopping and pick up what in their eyes are bargains, compared to Iceland's prices!
Coming back yesterday, the flight was atleast 90% full.
While load factors and just flying the route once in each direction is no scientific sign of how the route is performing for Wizz, it is a good indicator and they seem to be doing quite well!
When I booked, fares were very similar to easyJet. But as I am taking advantage of my Wizz Discount membership for the year and flogging it like a dead horse, it worked out around £20 cheaper.
It did seem strange arriving at Keflavik within 10-15 minutes of the easyJet flight from LTN...
Even though Keflavik airport is empty at around 9am when the Wizz and easyJet flights arrive (as all the WOW and Iceland Air flights have departed by that time for Europe), Wizz still choose to use a remote stand, while easyJet use the air bridges. So factor that in, if you find buses to the aircraft a pain up you know where!