Another director departs at BA

[BikerMark]

From Ft.com:

BA loses influential senior executive

British Airways lost one of its most influential senior executives today when David Spurlock, the airline's director of strategy, resigned for personal reasons.

The departure of Spurlock will come as a huge blow to the airline at a time when the aviation industry is facing the worst crisis in its history.

Spurlock, who joined the airline in 1996, was the driving force behind BA's radical decision to reduce its reliance on transfer traffic and focus on the more profitable point-to-point business traffic by switching to smaller aircraft.

The airline said Spurlock was returning to his native California.

[ 30 October 2001: Message edited by: BikerMark ]

[THE GUVN0R]

I'm the man for that job! Where do I apply? Does it cost £50? Actually, I'm surprised no one at BA has invited me to join the board, given my wealth of aviation experience, extensive cutting and pasting skills, and my undoubted pilot management acumen.

:mad: :mad: :mad:

[1.3VStall]

Guv,

Sorry mate, but BA got rid of its L1011s a while back!

[JustAnother777Driver]

Well good riddance. Now lets see the rest of the assholes that were on the board during Alying’s disastrous reign go too. :eek:

[Carnage Matey!]

I suspect that nobody except his colleagues on the board will be sorry to see the departure of this Ayling yes-man. Had the misfortune to meet him once. Smug, arrogant and evasive, he was ideally suited to Aylings regime.

[The Guvnor]

1.3VStall - the message you were replying to was not from me.

I have to admit to getting rather tired of posts by Guvnor and THE GUVNOR - not only does it show a remarkable lack of imagination on their part but it's rather confusing to everyone else.

Can we have these IDs deleted, please?

[THE GUVN0R]

I have to admit to getting rather tired of posts by The Guvnor - not only does it show a remarkable lack of imagination on his part but he's rather confusing to everyone else.

Can we have his ID deleted, please?


:cool: :cool: :cool:

[JustAnother777Driver]

:D :D :D :D
Don't you just love to see guv squirm!
:D :D :D :D

[jongar]

Can I agree with both the above posts, and also say hip hip hooray as BA slides further into the abyss.

Jon

[Slickster]

Guv (the real one),
you don't have to be a rocket scientist to realise that these people are not you. Personally, I find your impersonators rather amusing. Keep up the good work guys! ;)

[Mr Angry from Purley]

The Guv Mark 1 was featured in last weeks TTG
(or a one liner anyway) which confirmed that Caledonian Wings had axed its start up plans.
That's a blow for the aviation community
because had the Guv been in full time employment his postings would have hopefully reduced somewhat!.

:mad: :mad: :mad:

[mainfrog2]

V50 you're a sado

You're comment wasn't worth the effort, I suppose neither was the reply.

[ 30 October 2001: Message edited by: mainfrog2 ]

[M.Mouse]

I might think The Guvnor is wrong on most things, I might not like what he posts, I might even dislike him intensely if I met him but what God given right does anybody have to be so unpleasant, antagonistic and downright rude whenever he posts anything.

The impersonators are becoming tiresome in the extreme.

I generally get into the first few lines of his posts, get bored (and most of his postings are truly boring) and move on.

The abuse says more about the posters than any of The Guvnor's posts say about him.

Anybody thought about using logical argument instead of playground abuse?

And V50 your comment is a spiteful as it is unnecessary. Many people in many industries are going to lose their jobs before this period is over. You ought to be ashamed of yourself.

[ 30 October 2001: Message edited by: M.Mouse ]

[moggie]

If Mr Spurlock was the director of strategy during a time when BA's share price dropped by more than 50% as a result of that strategy then he will be missed as much as a tooth ache.

BA don't have strategy - they have short term, knee jerk re-actions which are reversed on a regular basis before they have chance to take effect. Take a look at GO. Set up to wipe out easyJet (failed) but then sold off just as it was become profitable and now a direct competitor against their own regional arm.

I hope they do pull through but I would not stake my life savings on it.

[Tandemrotor]

The day BA fail, will be some time after the VAST majority of British airlines are flushed down the toilet.

But you are right if you are implying aviation in general probably ain't the safest place for your cash at the moment!

[smiths]

Guv who? Stay focus and don't lose your dream. Many ppruners depend on you for a job.

[Rommel]

Mr Spurlock and Mr Ayling did untold damage to BA,and the price is being paid now,Sept 11 merely accelerated events and intensified an already tough situation.BA however will survive,no thanks to either of the above.

How much I wonder was his "golden/platinum handshake"?

The suits have it.

[BahrainLad]

Read somewhere that this guy is 34.

If so, what on earth are BA doing with a Director of Strategy who is 34 years old!!!

Surely he had only just left University when the last recession (Gulf War 90-92) hit. How experienced would he have been at getting BA out of the current mess?

[faq]

I enjoy the Guvnor's posts, he draws attention to many interesting articles in the press - his post in the GO thread drawing attention to a Scotsman article regarding GO's routes for example.

Some of his opinions and comments get a bit tiresome, but then the GUVNOR does a pretty good job of mockery.

Can't we keep them both?

[Porky Speedpig]

Agree with faq - we need both Guvnors on here!

[Dick Deadeye]

Another Ayling yes-man bites the dust. All the Nigels I've spoken to think it a very welcome trend.

Who is next to go from Waterworld I wonder?

[JustAnother777Driver]

How abouut the rest of Alying cronies...

[Anti-ice]

Agree with Porky and faq - we need all 3 guvs, tho the last 2 are far more entertaining - and not so conceited! :D :D :D

They are good fun in the extreme - not tiresome - and if its winding the real one up - cooooool :p

Calm down (real) guv, after all you go out to court controversy - and after all imitation is the most sincere form of flattery !


V50 - get a life m8y
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Now who's cabin heels am I wearing ???

[ 31 October 2001: Message edited by: Anti-ice ]

[ 31 October 2001: Message edited by: Anti-ice ]

[Fat Tony]

Hey, why replace him? This is a significant step in the great headcount reduction plan!!!
All we need is 20,000 others to follow suit and we're sorted!

:D Fat Tony

[Final 3 Greens]

It amazes me that you lot sit in judgement on a subject where you do not have the training to comment authoritatively.

As far as I know, Spurlock never visited a flight deck to tell you how to fly and whilst this is a R&N network so you are entitled to your opinions, I regard these as being those of gifted amateurs some way away from their day job, where you are professionals without question.

I do have a bit of training in business and I won't tell you how to fly either, but I can tell you that 34 is a perfectly good age for a director of strategy - 10 year splus experience is more than enough. There is no such concept as seniority in business - you get there by performance.

On the subject of prior experience, how do you learn to handle engine failures????? in the sim of course and such equivalent tools are also(amazingly) available to business people to understand past trends and allow them to work through future scenarios too.

BA is a big company, with all the good and bad things that go with that status.

However, it is on balance a company that does a good job in promoting UK plc (as also do Virgin, bmi, Britsh European and others)

Whatever you may think of the strategy, it looks a darn sight more robust than Swissair's from where I am sitting.

[ 01 November 2001: Message edited by: Final 3 Greens ]

[bean_counter]

Final 3 - I agree.
Continuing upon the path set pre-Spurlock would have led to BA flying FAR to much capacity. Dangerous at the best of times but almost certain to have put the company under in the current situation.

Swapping 747-400 options for 777-200 pre-empted (no idea what the actual number of swaps was - anyone ??) almost every other major carrier's recent conversion (pre Sep11) to cutting capacity.

And yes - although BA's share price has dropped badly since Spurlock was director of Strategy the company still looks more sound now than Aer Lingus, Sabena, Swissair, Alitalia, KLM, United and US Air. Of those who would you rather work for ?

Does anyone really think BA would be better off now with more 744s, 757s and 767s and substantial increases in LGW operations ?
Get a grip.

[edited for spelling]

[ 01 November 2001: Message edited by: bean_counter ]

[moggie]

Bean_Counter I am worried for your airline if your measure of success is to be "less in the **** than the other guys"!

The Ayling years were characterised by muddled strategy (set up GO, plan to sell it off when it is strong enough to hurt you, 737 into, out of, into LHR etc.) Yes capacity reduction was a good move but alienating the people who EARN the revenue whilst boosting the numbers of those who COST money was not smart.

If your cabin and flighdeck crews are unhappy it shows in their work. Bob made them angry by trying to belittle them and prompted an unnecessary cabin crew strike/3 days sick that made your airline look silly. Bob blew a fortune on "Project Eutopia" which made your paint schemes a laughing stock. Bob oversaw all this with people like Mr Spurlock advising him.

They say that enough monkies with enough typewriters could recreate the complete works of Shakespeare. However, I do not believe that lots of bean counters with an ever decreasing number of beans will rescue an airline.

[Final 3 Greens]

Moggie

In the real world, when you are in the downturn area of the business cycle, being "less in the ****" than the other guys (your comeptitors) is about as good as it gets.

This applies to most businesses, not just airlines.

The strongest build up reserves to survive the bleak periods, the weak perish.

It is easy to throw rocks at BA, as they are a big target (very big) and they are going through a rough patch, but as I said in my earlier post they are a very good ambassador for the UK: I know, as I travel frequently and talk to many other business people from other countires who rate their service and view it as being representative of the UK.

Its about time we supported the company (and I do not work for them) as we should for ALL our airlines in these difficult times.

[bean_counter]

moggie - I am not arguing with criticism of Ayling, setting up and selling off of GO, alienation of customer service staff, causing strikes or the tailfins.

To the best of my knowledge the Dir. of Strategy had no involvement in any of these decisions. I believe the BA strategy dept consists of planning the fleet and network and hub contol.

As a BA shareholder I think it's disappointing and a worrying sign that a Director who did much to keep the company heading in the right direction has jumped/been pushed (anyone know which ?)

As you say - BA now seems to be left with the dregs of Ayling era "leadership" which isn't reassuring in the current climate.

[jumpseat]

L337,
Never a truer word spoken anywhere on Pprune.

[Pontius]

Now I don't have a degree in Business Studies and (thankfully) have never had to sit behind a desk and pontificate on subjects about which I have no experience (even if simulations are available to see how they will affect thousands of people and millions of pounds). What I have got is a good pair of eyes and the intelligence to see how Spurlock, Ayling and all the other W anchors that typified the Ayling era totally screwed up a once brilliant company.

They all try to hide behind masks of 'it wasn't me' but if the strategy to be more 'Globally Aware' and paint the tails silly colours and a whole miriad of other short-term, so called, strategies weren't Spurlock and his cronies' doing then what the hell were we employing him for in the first place. He was Boss of Strtegies. The strategies were bloody useless ergo Spurlock is useless and should have been chucked out ages ago. I don't give a flying fig if his ideas were innovative, creative, forward looking or whatever other tosh you desk-driving sychophants choose to describe such peoples work as. At the end of the day, with the single exception of capacity reduction, his strategies were wrong. And if you want any more evidence you only have to look at the fact that every strategy lasted a couple of weeks, then tey'd cahnge their minds again and see if something else works.

Here's a strategy. Fly people from A to B, safely, comfortably, quickly and as cheaply as a 'premium' product allows. All else is horse****.

And while I'm ranting, does anyone know when Skippy is actually going to do ANYTHING. I reckon his 'sit on your hands and view the state on the nation' period is long over and it's about time he did something for all the money he's getting paid. And I don't mean trying to hive off all the work to franchicees and joining up with KLM. Why can't we just concentrate 100% on my strategy above? They can even have it for nothing and I don't expect (more) 1st Class tickets or company car.

Good riddance Ayling. Good riddance Spurlock and hopefully all of the lackies that inhabit Waterworld and don't contribute DIRECTLY to making money.

And what about T5.....


Mr Angry Pontius