Virgin Atlantic Pilot Redundancies
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I don't understand the latest news from the bunker. VS order some A330's, smatter their staff with bonuses and then start to make staff jobless. I am only a poor SLF who puts his bum on a seat (J class naturally) but if there is some logic to it....
The letter to Cabin Crew states 406 redundancies so the "63" flight crew may have some credance. The route cutbacks announced now will need fewer crew/aircraft...........
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I too have heard there's going to be up to 4 airframes grounded and a significant number of pilots made redundant as a result. My source got it from a management pilot there. Things just don't seem to add up at Virgin considering the recent quotes in the press from SRB.
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Numbers get worse
I am afraid that the news is getting worse.
Latest figures that I have (from the same reliable source as before) are that there will be a further 105 compulsory redundancies PLUS the 21 already announced. That is approx 20% of the pilots out of the door, shortly after announcing market leading 'profits', 'gaining market share' and a new 'order' for 10 (?) x A330s ????
VS are in a mess and RB's efforts to mask their problems by having a go at BA recently are now coming home to roost. Very sad times for all at VS. Good luck to all.
Latest figures that I have (from the same reliable source as before) are that there will be a further 105 compulsory redundancies PLUS the 21 already announced. That is approx 20% of the pilots out of the door, shortly after announcing market leading 'profits', 'gaining market share' and a new 'order' for 10 (?) x A330s ????
VS are in a mess and RB's efforts to mask their problems by having a go at BA recently are now coming home to roost. Very sad times for all at VS. Good luck to all.
Last edited by NOBBY NOBOV; 2nd Jul 2009 at 05:54.
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RBs empire could be in deep trouble financially.The markets he's in, Finance,Airline ,Railways and Media have all taken a big hit in this recession-has he stretched himself to far ?
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Management Source ??
'crewrest'
Where did I say that it was a 'management pilot source' ?? I will not reveal my sources, but this one is again impeccable, but not VS management.
It is hardly 'spouting company confidential' - have you seen Sky and BBC news recently ?!!
Whilst it is very sad news for all concerned, Branson has tried very hard to pull the wool over the eyes of the travelling public about the state of his company. The question remains, if VS are so 'well placed' as he recently claimed, then why make 600 staff redundant including approx 20% of your pilots ?
There has always been a tendency on this forum for some people to knock the likes of BA/CX/AA etc and 'protect' the smaller niche carriers like VS. In addition I have witnessed some very selective moderating with regard to any story about VS that does not fit the image.
I am afraid that times are changing, VERY rapidly, and no amount of spin will pull RB out of this PR hole that he has dug for himself. As I said earlier, good luck to all. Very difficult times.
Where did I say that it was a 'management pilot source' ?? I will not reveal my sources, but this one is again impeccable, but not VS management.
It is hardly 'spouting company confidential' - have you seen Sky and BBC news recently ?!!
Whilst it is very sad news for all concerned, Branson has tried very hard to pull the wool over the eyes of the travelling public about the state of his company. The question remains, if VS are so 'well placed' as he recently claimed, then why make 600 staff redundant including approx 20% of your pilots ?
There has always been a tendency on this forum for some people to knock the likes of BA/CX/AA etc and 'protect' the smaller niche carriers like VS. In addition I have witnessed some very selective moderating with regard to any story about VS that does not fit the image.
I am afraid that times are changing, VERY rapidly, and no amount of spin will pull RB out of this PR hole that he has dug for himself. As I said earlier, good luck to all. Very difficult times.
Financial Times 2nd July 2009
Virgin Atlantic to cut 600 jobs
By Kevin Done
Published: July 2 2009 00:33 | Last updated: July 2 2009 00:33
Virgin Atlantic, the UK long-haul airline controlled by Sir Richard Branson, is cutting capacity by 7 per cent in the coming winter season and is planning to axe about 600 jobs, or close to 8 per cent of the workforce.
Steve Ridgway, chief executive, said: “The outlook for the industry is as bleak as ever and all airlines are having to shrink their businesses. The fittest will survive and be in a stronger position when the economy grows.”
He said the group would seek to minimise the number of compulsory redundancies.
The latest contraction in the operations follows the elimination of another 600 jobs announced last February together with a pay freeze from last March.
In total, Virgin Atlantic, which is 49 per cent owned by Singapore Airlines, has announced plans to reduce its previous workforce of 8,400 by more than 14 per cent.
The airline said it was planning to suspend its daily London Heathrow/Chicago service in the coming five-month winter season from the end of October and would reduce its twice-daily Heathrow/Hong Kong service to a single daily flight.
The UK carrier has previously indicated its financial performance was expected to deteriorate significantly in the current financial year to the end of February 2010.
Virgin Atlantic to cut 600 jobs
By Kevin Done
Published: July 2 2009 00:33 | Last updated: July 2 2009 00:33
Virgin Atlantic, the UK long-haul airline controlled by Sir Richard Branson, is cutting capacity by 7 per cent in the coming winter season and is planning to axe about 600 jobs, or close to 8 per cent of the workforce.
Steve Ridgway, chief executive, said: “The outlook for the industry is as bleak as ever and all airlines are having to shrink their businesses. The fittest will survive and be in a stronger position when the economy grows.”
He said the group would seek to minimise the number of compulsory redundancies.
The latest contraction in the operations follows the elimination of another 600 jobs announced last February together with a pay freeze from last March.
In total, Virgin Atlantic, which is 49 per cent owned by Singapore Airlines, has announced plans to reduce its previous workforce of 8,400 by more than 14 per cent.
The airline said it was planning to suspend its daily London Heathrow/Chicago service in the coming five-month winter season from the end of October and would reduce its twice-daily Heathrow/Hong Kong service to a single daily flight.
The UK carrier has previously indicated its financial performance was expected to deteriorate significantly in the current financial year to the end of February 2010.
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VS capacity contraction
From ATW Daily News...........
Thursday July 2, 2009
Virgin Atlantic Airways CEO Steve Ridgway said yesterday that the carrier will cut its winter capacity by 7% year-over-year, putting up to 600 jobs in jeopardy. "The outlook for the industry is as bleak as ever and all airlines are having to shrink their businesses," he said, according to press reports. "We will look to minimize the number of compulsory redundancies and ensure we treat our staff as fairly as possible." VS's London Heathrow-Chicago O'Hare service will be suspended, while flights to Hong Kong will be halved
Thursday July 2, 2009
Virgin Atlantic Airways CEO Steve Ridgway said yesterday that the carrier will cut its winter capacity by 7% year-over-year, putting up to 600 jobs in jeopardy. "The outlook for the industry is as bleak as ever and all airlines are having to shrink their businesses," he said, according to press reports. "We will look to minimize the number of compulsory redundancies and ensure we treat our staff as fairly as possible." VS's London Heathrow-Chicago O'Hare service will be suspended, while flights to Hong Kong will be halved
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There are some people on this thread who do not seem to have much grasp of the real world of business.
Yes VS did make a profit and has rewarded its' staff accordingly which is a very rare situation in today's world.
However those conditions which enabled it to make a profit do not exist now and therefore like the majority of airlines today, it is having to cut back accordingly. Very sad for those affected but is it better to keep them all on - make bigger losses with bigger cuts down the line?
The acquisition of new aircraft is a completely seperate issue but clearly in their business case it makes sense to them and will hopefully be to the benefit of the company and the staff further down the line.
Yes VS did make a profit and has rewarded its' staff accordingly which is a very rare situation in today's world.
However those conditions which enabled it to make a profit do not exist now and therefore like the majority of airlines today, it is having to cut back accordingly. Very sad for those affected but is it better to keep them all on - make bigger losses with bigger cuts down the line?
The acquisition of new aircraft is a completely seperate issue but clearly in their business case it makes sense to them and will hopefully be to the benefit of the company and the staff further down the line.
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WidebodyWillie
Whilst I really do understand your point - yes it is right. At that time those bonusses were justified and whilst the state of the company has changed - those people are still entitled to that money.
Trust me I have been on the wrong end of such circumstances but it is fair.
Whilst I really do understand your point - yes it is right. At that time those bonusses were justified and whilst the state of the company has changed - those people are still entitled to that money.
Trust me I have been on the wrong end of such circumstances but it is fair.
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I would like to wish all VS flight crew the best in these turbulent times.
Like a previous post here I think that the morals in VS are somewhat disappointing. For a Company that prides itself on its staff (see their web site for an example) to give staff a bonus followed by a P45 is very odd and is a strange way to treat your staff.
Like a previous post here I think that the morals in VS are somewhat disappointing. For a Company that prides itself on its staff (see their web site for an example) to give staff a bonus followed by a P45 is very odd and is a strange way to treat your staff.
Have to agree with the previous posters- SRB is a fair weather Boss. Where was he after Sept 11? I'm glad I ignored the spin & left. As for SR words fail me!! Ripped us off over those seats & kept his job - Teflon Tony (as in BLIAR) would have been proud!
More importantly for all those great colleagues I left behind
all the best for the future.
More importantly for all those great colleagues I left behind
all the best for the future.
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About a week ago SRB was talking of new routes to Vancouver etc., making a possible takeover bid of BA and now this! It really beggars belief the amount of spin that comes out of his mouth. Hopefully the company will handle the process with respect toward the employees in the firing line.
About a week ago SRB was talking of new routes to Vancouver etc., making a possible takeover bid of BA and now this! It really beggars belief the amount of spin that comes out of his mouth.
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Is this the armchair airline executives forum? Most of the crap being posted on here should be in Airlines, Airports & Routes forum or better still, Spotters Balcony! 
Apart from those pilots who are employed by or have been employed by Virgin, the rest of the comments on here look like a bunch of know it all enthusiasts who, apart from reading Airliners Monthly, have about as much knowledge of what Virgin pilots T's & C's are about as a pimple on your bum knows about brain surgery.
Whilst Virgin directors and senior managers may be stupid enough to not realise that their bonuses will affect morale amongst their workforce, even though they are bonuses earned when times were good, the resulting announcement of more redundancies is a blow to an already demoralised workforce. The fact that the first stab they took at projecting their losses for this downturn have proven to be so very wrong is only an indictment of their poor judgement.
The announcement yesterday should not come as a huge surprise but from the pilots perspective, it just reflects the short sightedness of some of the decisions being made. The festering problem that is being created is that when the business starts to pick up, the same management will be caught on the wrong foot as expansion requires more pilots than are available, either due to not enough wanting to come back or worse still, not enough trainers to train the backlog. This in turn will have a disrespected management trying to get demoralised pilots to work outside of their terms and conditions which will create friction.
The easy answer? There isn't one and I'm not paid enough to make those decisions. Amongst the pilot workforce there is the belief that rather than laying off so many pilots they should be looking at offering unpaid leave and/or less hours a year. The overheads will still be there but the upside is that when the recovery kicks in there will be enough trained bodies in place to keep the show running smoothly.
As a pilot, I and my colleagues have to keep all options open. We would like to preserve the jobs of those near the end of the seniority list, even if it means some sacrifice. Our senior management and above don't seem to grasp the concept of keeping morale as it is not a tangible asset. PR is one thing but celebrating and partying just before announcing yet more redundancies because they got the numbers wrong in the first place is tantamount to irresponsibility.
The armchair experts should bugger off to their respective forums on here and leave us pilots to discuss our T's & C's. They can read our comments but please refrain from posting your simplistic and ignorance based views here. Just because have flown with us once or twice or your mate is a frequent flyer with Virgin doesn't confer on you the right turn this post into a spotters free for all.
Mods, can we please make sure that this isn't turned into another of those interminably boring posts that the armchair enthusiasts have a habit of ruining?
Apart from those pilots who are employed by or have been employed by Virgin, the rest of the comments on here look like a bunch of know it all enthusiasts who, apart from reading Airliners Monthly, have about as much knowledge of what Virgin pilots T's & C's are about as a pimple on your bum knows about brain surgery.
Whilst Virgin directors and senior managers may be stupid enough to not realise that their bonuses will affect morale amongst their workforce, even though they are bonuses earned when times were good, the resulting announcement of more redundancies is a blow to an already demoralised workforce. The fact that the first stab they took at projecting their losses for this downturn have proven to be so very wrong is only an indictment of their poor judgement.
The announcement yesterday should not come as a huge surprise but from the pilots perspective, it just reflects the short sightedness of some of the decisions being made. The festering problem that is being created is that when the business starts to pick up, the same management will be caught on the wrong foot as expansion requires more pilots than are available, either due to not enough wanting to come back or worse still, not enough trainers to train the backlog. This in turn will have a disrespected management trying to get demoralised pilots to work outside of their terms and conditions which will create friction.
The easy answer? There isn't one and I'm not paid enough to make those decisions. Amongst the pilot workforce there is the belief that rather than laying off so many pilots they should be looking at offering unpaid leave and/or less hours a year. The overheads will still be there but the upside is that when the recovery kicks in there will be enough trained bodies in place to keep the show running smoothly.
As a pilot, I and my colleagues have to keep all options open. We would like to preserve the jobs of those near the end of the seniority list, even if it means some sacrifice. Our senior management and above don't seem to grasp the concept of keeping morale as it is not a tangible asset. PR is one thing but celebrating and partying just before announcing yet more redundancies because they got the numbers wrong in the first place is tantamount to irresponsibility.
The armchair experts should bugger off to their respective forums on here and leave us pilots to discuss our T's & C's. They can read our comments but please refrain from posting your simplistic and ignorance based views here. Just because have flown with us once or twice or your mate is a frequent flyer with Virgin doesn't confer on you the right turn this post into a spotters free for all.
Mods, can we please make sure that this isn't turned into another of those interminably boring posts that the armchair enthusiasts have a habit of ruining?