aerotech07 said:

"It often gets said in jest, but perhaps NATS should be looking at what they can do to keep people that they have spent a lot of money to train? Why do people want to go elsehwhere? Whatever the answer, I don't think bonding new recruits will make any problem go away."

The thing that I'm sure must have kept a lot of people working there who might have otherwise moved on were the final salary pensions. Now they are gone for new employees I am surprised that there isn't a bonding of some sort as there is less incentive to stay. If there was a bonding then it would have to be significantly longer or more expensive to get out of compared to Ryanair to be worthwhile because the costs to NATS is so much higher so it might be that it's just not worth doing. What other solutions are there (other than reinstating the final salary scheme)?

... apart from management posts, new ones of which seem to spring up regularly :cool:

Unfortunately as EI has said NATS will very rarely take into account personal circumstances when giving people their initial postings.

I wouldn't say that NATS don't take into account your personal circumstances. They need to know what they are so they can do the opposite.