To all XL Pilots, Cabin Crew, Kosmar reps,

Over the past 5 years starting and ending holiday with you all, may I wish you all the best in finding emploment in your chosen career.

Both Airport Desks,Pilots, Crew and Kosmar reps did an excelent job with Passion on finding and returning the Wife's Purse left on board the Plane this year after we landed at kefalonia in August.

They did an excellent job both inbound and outbound, during the return flight they had run out of meals to buy, what realy cheesed me of was some of the nagging passengers winging at them blaming them about this, its wasn't there fault and never was, but after the colapse of XL uk I now know why, all trying their damn hardest to deliver customer satisfaction with limited resources.

I know its those idiot greedy :mad: :mad:shareholders like the Oil/Energy/Bank/football & City barrons that want more & more return for their investments/product for the High life, and if they dont get it, they throw their Teddys out of the pram and refuse to invest and support to prevent 1700 dedicated profesional people from being unemployed and the holiday makers who have saved all year for their hols tobe shafted by the Rich and greedy.

Dont forget greedy b:mad: the real people make this world tick without then your all stuffed.

To all staff affected best wishes and good luck in finding employment.

chrisbl

"1700 jobs not that big an issue"

I dare you to say that to someone from XL or Zooms face.

"1700 jobs not that big an issue"

I think chrisbl might just be a company 'administrator' - despite having a PPL in his spare time!

Chrisbl

you are indeed an utter clown, and i hope you have the moral courage to apologise for your crass and ill-considered comments to our colleagues in the aviation industry that now face desperate uncertainty. Your thoughts alone should have you banned from a professional aviation forum such as this.

Good luck to all XL staff. I had many happy trips with you (to go diving) to the Red Sea. You also one year allowed me (airline HQ) to take 300Kgs of surgical and hospital equipment (which i had collected from hospitals and Doctors for charity) for the people of rural Egypt completely free of charge, which made a great difference to the number of lives saved by the hospital in Safaga, when the ferry disaster happened between Saudi and Egypt on the Red Sea a few years ago. Well done, thank you and God Bless:ok::ok:

Roger

edited to say you were the only airline in three years that allowed me to take charity hospital supplies free of charge (i do it three weeks a year every year):ok:

It does, thank you for answering my question.:ok:

Sky News are reporting that 9 flights are on their way to Corfu to collect passengers that have been stranded there all weekend;

Sky News | Nine Flights for Corfu

I've been to Corfu many times, and I for one would certainly not like to have to stay in the airport there any longer than the two hours prior to an online departure! I feel really sorry for those that are stranded there, and the staff too, who must be really gutted. I can't even begin to imagine what it must feel like to be stranded so far away from home, and knowingly unemployed, and powerless to do anything about it.

Shocking, truly shocking.

It's a dog eat dog world out there..

Just saw American Airline's latest advert at a major London train station. It shows a picture of a nice looking buisness class seat stretched out ready to be slept on and above it in huge writing just " XL "

Some marketing agency person was probably bragging to all their friends last night (whilst sipping a £100 bottle of red) how they came up with their idea.

XL had many people from Dans, Air Europe, Buzz, Transaer etc etc and I wish them all well. They have been through all this before - some a few times.

The moneymen just dont realise they are messing with fellow human-beings and their families when they play thier games.

I've just leared that in the XL redundancys several months ago, the Chairman Phil Wyatt, who was seen shedding (crocodile) tears at the press conference on TV,turned up at the offie in his Bentley Continental..... How crass and insensitive was that. I bet he still has it.

Best of luck to all.

Thrush
The Irritating C-word

I find this article interesting, somebody earlier on mentioned barrow boys!!,
from the bbc web site today



Meanwhile, it was disclosed that XL's former auditor warned of "financial irregularities" at the firm almost two years ago.
Accountancy firm KPMG claimed in a letter in October 2006 that it was blocked from investigating alleged misrepresentations by company directors that could have resulted in "material errors" in financial statements. It stated: "We are no longer able to conclude that the financial statements give a true and fair view of the profit of the company and its subsidiaries."


Having had dealings with the yo yo's, the barrow boys, and the xl staff over the years I know who I would trust with my car keys!

Quoting Chrisbl
Chrisbl, 1700 jobs is a big issue,17 jobs or 7 jobs is a big issue for those involved, your uncaring attitude does you no credit whatsoever,.
I was directly affected by the collapse of Ansett in Australia a while back and so I can understand what the former employees of XL are feeling now.
I have read some utterly stupid,uncaring posts on PPRuNe in the past but so far yours is amongst the worst.
I suggest you have a good think about what you wrote and be big enough to apologise.
(By the way have you thought about the flow on effect of 1700 job losses has on the economy overall? think about it £1.00 not received in income is £1.00 that you don't have to spend elsewhere-simplistic economics,I know but you get the point-I hope)

Edited to wish all those affected by the collapse the best wishes,I hope you all find alternative employment quickly.:ok:

Here is the full article Scriv :-

The former auditor of collapsed tour operator XL warned of "financial irregularities" at the firm almost two years ago, it has emerged.

In a strongly-worded resignation letter, accountancy firm KPMG claimed in October 2006 that it was blocked from investigating alleged misrepresentations by company directors that could have resulted in "material errors" in financial statements.

XL Leisure Group went into administration in the early hours of Friday morning leaving some 85,000 British holidaymakers stranded overseas.

Since then almost 12,000 people have been brought back as part of an airlift mission conducted by the aviation regulator.

The warning of potential financial irregularities at XL was made in a Companies House filed document dated October 16, 2006. In it KPMG explained why it had resigned as XL's auditor.

It stated: "We are no longer able to conclude that the financial statements give a true and fair view of the profit of the Company and its subsidiaries."

An investigation into arrangements between XL and a supplier concluded that information had been "misrepresented" to KPMG from "certain directors". As a result "financial statements were likely to contain material errors", auditors concluded.

But they were blocked from investigating the matter further, leading to the resignation.

XL, the UK's third largest tour operator, was forced to call in administrators, it was announced on Friday. The move grounded the firm's fleet of planes, necessitating the ongoing airlift mission to repatriate those left stranded

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said it had brought back 11,900 people on 52 flights. The vast majority of those still overseas will fly back on the date they originally intended to, the aviation regulator added.

I am not sure why the "Branson" plan is being slammed. It seems to me to be common sense. The CAA use the ring fenced bonding fund (£42M)to ensure that the A/C repatriate all, in interim administration. The CAA makes the rules, so cannot see why the interim company cannot use the existing AOC with existing company structure as a repat exercise. It seems ludicrous to not use perfectly serviceable aircraft and available staff, but instead be shopping around from all sorts of other operators to do a "Dunkirk" like exercise.

El Grif thanks

'But they were blocked from investigating the matter further, leading to the resignation.'


Hmm wonder who was guilty of that little indiscretion then?

Looks like the journos have been busy. I'm sure they will strike gold if they keep digging.

Looks like K+S the Turkey holiday specialist has gone down the crow road also.

A weekend to remember indeed.

Will Alitalia make it through ? I doubt it !

With the sad collapse of the XL group, what does this mean for alot of the companies external customers, such as Olympic and Libra Holidays, along with alot of the specialised tour operators, who had capacity on many of XL's flights? Will it also mean staff reductions in areas such as ground handling etc. An airline the size of this collapsing can have a domino effect in the travel and airline industry. It is also bad news for holiday makers to Greece, both XL and Kosmar were the No1 UK operator to the country, serving many of the smaller islands, where the big 2 do not currently serve, or do from only LGW and MAN. It may mean that smaller airports such as BRS, EMA, NCL, GLA loose out on valuable routes.

It is a difficult time in the market and I wish all the staff the very best and just wish that the press would take these peoples feelings into consideration!:ugh:

good luck to all the staff seeking employment, been made redundant twice now, not nice, espesially in theses times.

Mate of mine is a training Captain for XL, he should be ok, its all the 500 hour F/O's I feel sorry for.


Good luck guys.

Presumably this will have quite serious implications for pilots who have spent lots of money on training and were about to start look for jobs.

Where did my thread go??
 

About a week before the XL demise I posted a question on here asking if anyone knew why XL had beeen grounded at LGW?? The reason I found out later was that they had not payed the fuel bill. This was resolved later in the day.

I was just asking a straight question and not spreading gloom and doom. Maybe if the thread was left on, a few more people may have been better prepared or at least made some enquiries?

Perhaps PPRUNE may like to comment?

Coop & Bear

If only I had managed to attain 500hrs!!! XL left me a couple of hundred short of this!!!!

Did anyone else think of David Brent when Phil Whyatt was giving his press conference???