1000 Jobs to go at Virgin?
 

WARNING: RUMOUR!

ok this is "rumours and news"! The news in the office on friday "As many at 1000 cabin crew and pilots to go"?

Big annoucement due Monday?

Anyone know more?

One hopes that its a rumour and not fact behind it but seems many companies are using "Credit Crunch" to sack staff without really think of the impact on the business in 3 years time.

an announcement is being made within 7 days i've heard

sorry to say, but i guess the news wont be all rosey

The amount of redundancies at Virgin and other airlines will depend on both the companies and their staff's willingness to keep staff on despite there not being an immediate economical need for it.

This means reduced cost including perhaps willingness of staff to reduce working hours without penalty to the companies...

(cat amongst the pigeons....)

They should start with some of the managers first, although I understand a few have gone already. VS has been an upside down triangle for years with the works at the bottom. There is no need for a manager of the manager of the manager, especially when they are spinless and useless.

Perhaps may companies are trying to ensure they will just be around in three years time.

If the population at large is losing their jobs then it is pretty likely that there will be jobs lost further downstream especially in nice to have industries like airlines.

Virgin will not be alone.

Many many jobs will going in the future, should level off early 2011(my guess)

The early cutters will be best placed to enjoy the level off/up turn when it comes about.

The next few years will be hard for many.

I agree Chrisbl.

Unfortunately companies tend to get rid of too much of the what the Yanks call "shared company experience" i.e. the ones who know how to plan for growth and how things really work. Then in an upturn they overpay to recruit this and it takes year or two to try and build it back up.

I just hope there are enough 'managers' around to remeber the last Virgin knee jerk reaction after 9/11. They made far too many redundant and were suprised when a lot didn't come back when asked!

One Skipper told me he would be surprised to see 2009 pass with no redundancies from flight crew and that he had heard a whisper of an airframe or two being parked up. :( I am not at Virgin but I know a couple of people who are very close to the bottom of the seniority list, so I hope that this will remain a rumour.

At a party on New Years eve in conversation with some friends who are managers at Virgin, I was told how a big announcement towards the end of January was to me made with regards to shedding crew. Obviously this wasn't 100% certain but it was still said.

Oh dear, not good news, if true. Who's next? When (not if) will Willie get the axe out?

Look back over the shoulder and you know what's going on in the industry:
Business class load factors are down dramatically, because many banks and international groups have drastically cut travel budgets. Those who sit there pay less than they did (the yield is down by 20%). Economy class fairly filled but at ridicolous rates. Fuel hedges are additional burden against those who hae not hedged. Cargo traffic is down by 35 to 40%. All year over year. Your managers should tell you.

the first of many i fear
 

I think the next few weeks will see the start of major cutbacks by many airlines across Europe, bookings have gone into free fall, with the pound at 1 Euro & massive job losses in the UK, its little wonder. The business side is even worse the likes of RBS under pin many flights to London out of Edinburgh.

Virgin/bmi/Eastern/BA will all have blood on the carpet before the quarter is out

Baby & Globespan have already reduced their fleet size (in Globespans case thro out leasing) Jet2 are parking more aircraft than last winter looking at the daily list of `available to lease' telex to the office that they issue with more than 8 aircraft 75 & 73 most days.

Time to dust off the CV and look for the Sun screen and learn some Arabic:sad:

Ouch, that could hurt the three SH FO's who jumped ship from BA to Virgin last year chasing the quick long haul route!

Good luck to all, trying times indeed.

Forgot to add, all the money is going east! Probably time to look in that direction as well!

25 years and still looking great?

Good luck to everyone in 2009

Q

RUMOUR; How many staff are at Virgin. If it is a figure like this it must equate to 25% ? Being around LGW last week the lack of passengers was evident, no queues and hardly any cars in the long term car park. Here at LHR things are vastly better but once again evident to all that the pax figures are low.

Any Virgin insider care to put a figure on the number of flightdeck jobs that may go?

TBE.

the word on the street is...............
 

60ish,we will wait and see what happens tomorow :(

CUTS?
 

They are starting an AB cabin crew course tomorrow so presume no cuts there?