But that managed to kick Van Air's butt!

September traffic up 10% to 11.8 million while LF up 2% to 97%.

Quiet impressive growth with everything happening.

Sept Traffic Grows 10% To 11.8m Customers ? Load Factor Rises To 97% On Lower Fares | Ryanair's Corporate Website

Letter:
Michael O'Leary pens impassioned plea to Ryanair pilots to get them to remain at the airline - Independent.ie

2 faced wotsit

Ha ha! So there's going to be two years of an "always getting better as an employer" plan, following which they'll start charging pilots for taking their case on board?

I like how, even when they're trying to suck up (a bit, while gently reminding that they hopefully won't go bankrupt), they treat people as a computer algorithm and miss the point. The base by base pay thing could end up being a horrible mess that misses the point.

Do they really know if the formula is as simple as that? Instinct tells me that a lot of their offbeat bases in the middle of nowhere will have an interesting mixture of staff. There'll some people who want to be somewhere random and who would work for less because nobody else employs flight crew in [insert name of random place], and there'll be people desperate to escape from the sticks and get back to civilisation who'd take a pay cut to do it...

Also, if I was a competitor I'd start making wacky offers to Ryanair pilots in strange places, just to see if I could increase their costs :p

I run my own business, earlier this year I clearly wasn't offering sufficient salary so I increased it, not next month or next year, not based upon productivity, I increased it immediately, I got the staff and despite competitor business trying to poach them my staff are sticking with me.

Talk is cheap, if he actually put his hand in his pocket NOW it might help the situation!

Also, if I was a competitor I'd start making wacky offers to Ryanair pilots in strange places, just to see if I could increase their costs

Tranferring all contractors to proper employee contracts would do that. If you were a competitor why would you not ask the question to those who could insist upon it?

Ryanair must be under some pressure to send out a letter like that. Could you ever have imagined them sending a letter like this?

But read between the lines ...

According to Wiki RYR makes a profit of circa 1.5 billion Euros annually yet MOL has the audacity to offer the pilots, and only the pilots, more money but based on productivity ... isn't 1.5 billion a year enough for the :mad:? :)

But Flight Operations, the pilots, are the highest paid department of any airline, what about the engineers, cabin crew, office staff etc. who are underpaid and treated like poo also, if I were one of them then should he knuckle under to the pilots then I would be one of the next group of employees to vote with their feet also.

Yes ... Don't go to Norweigan, they are in financial :mad: street because they treat their staff too well, stick with us because whilst you work your butts off our shareholders are laughing all the way to the bank!

I would have thought the letter would have been better presented with Dear Colleagues instead of just Ladies and Gentlemen (no ampersand) but that is MOL for you.

London Underground staff have been instructed NOT to use Ladies and Gentlemen in either written or verbal form as it is no longer considered fully inclusive. So as a modern chap (sorry - person), I'm with you on this one, Compton!

He is struggling to find appropriate terminology. Colleagues would give them a status as partners in the enterprise that he doesn't consider they have. They're not employees or staff since Ryanair doesn't employ them directly but contracts for their services with nominally independent companies. I'm sure ppruners can suggest some accurate but unprintable alternatives.

This is what the Guardian reported
https://www.theguardian.com/business...-cancellations

Judge lets fly at apologetic O'Leary over 'pathetic' lie - Independent.ie

Interestingly they also reported this which would have a major effect on employment practices.
https://www.theguardian.com/business...on-airlines-uk

I don't think you are not colleagues of your boss.

Ryanair is a successful airline that have been doing their work well. Like most organisations it has a few school yard bullies that act as if they were forced to join the airline and have been held there against their wishes. If things are so bad and they can't make ends meet and the glass is always half full etc etc, why don't they just leave? I for one would prefer not to have a disgruntled pilot in charge of any aircraft I fly on. Remove them.

Not colleagues of the boss but colleagues of the COMPANY. A few school yard bullies you're having a laugh!

There are times when O'Leary needs to keep his mouth shut, take an extended holiday or whatever, and leave it to his senior management to sort out the mess that he has created ... But he simply can't do it!

First head rolls at Ryanair after pilot scheduling fiasco - BBC News

One gone , but will it be the last?

But they're not colleagues of the company either; for that they would have to be members of staff.

Tell him to apply to Norwegian, everybody else is apparently :)

PC gone mad or PC making us nicer?

Resignation to be expected. It's company law here.

How do you handle a disgruntled pilot? They really should be identified, removed from their position and offered appropriate help.