Airline Strikes

[SydMel]

I sympathise with the BA cabin staff , redundancies, reduction in airline services, low pay, long hours, long time away from home, BUT I also feel sorry for airline management.

Ansett Airlines had a total strike in 1989 , the pilots wanted 30% salary increases, mangement explained to them, that such an increase was not viable.  Ansett pilots would not yield , Sir Peter Abeles, the majority owner sacked them, and re-hired new pilots [ at less pay] . This was the beginning of the end , because Ansett eventually went into liquidation, and everyone lost their job, even non-pilot staff.

I read, that BA lost $1.8 Billion, strike action in these difficult times for airlines could endanger the whole operation.

[Qavion]

True, it is bad timing, but I see parallels with the Qantas Engineer "strike" (In this case, they were only asking for 3 or 4 percent payrise and only went on strike for a day or two, yet management were trying to paint them as the bad guys). The engineers saw the management lining their pockets with millions of dollars and then asking their employees for wage restraints (They'd been using 101 different reasons over the last 10 years for such restraints... and enough was enough).

Rumour has it that even Geoff Dixon's mates in other industries were telling him he was stupid to argue over such modest demands.

Someone even wrote a book called "The Men Who Killed Qantas" (i.e. management). Thank god they weren't able to sell the airline off to the Macquarie Bank consortium... or Qantas really would be dead.

[Richard McDonald Woods]

Hi Q!
...and Australians wouldn't be able to fly any more??? I think not.

I am always surprised how people in general don't want their companies to disappear and others to take the market slot. Yes, it would mean a change of job, which is always unsettling. But surely the great majority of job positions will be there, even if the management and company name is different. Why the great concern over whether the senior Australian airline is called 'Qantas' or something quite different.

If the management have proved incompetent or unable to satisfy the shareholders, who are we to argue against the change?

Stir, stir, stir!

Cheers, Richard

[GCIVP]

The planned strike gave rise to very palpable (and most negative!) tension between FC and CC, especially amongst LHR crews. Many pilots had volunteered to be "door operators" if the CC strike had gone ahead, most on XMas day as well. There is extremely heated debate about the CC union and what they are/have been doing and when they should be able to draw a line that is not to be crossed. I've heard several experiences of crews on layover downroute not talking to each other (and worse things) following this announced strike.
Sadly, BA's image has been badly tarnished by this and the feeling in general is that customer loyalty (especially the premium ones, on whom BA counts very much for the higher yield) has dramatically diminished. Having averted the strike won't change that for the foreseeable future.

On a different note, to point out how much aviation is going down the pan in this country... the BALPA general secretary had to take a jumpseat ride on a KLM B777 for an article in the Union's magazine because the security practices in the UK are so hell-bent on not allowing anyone in the FD. 7 years of trying and trying with the CAA drove him away from the UK and to NL to hitch a ride on a KLM 777. Go figure.
Similarly, someone I personally know, 30 years of service in BA, 5 in GSS, now retired, could not get a js ride to see Airbus ops (on a BA 'bus!) and had to hitch a ride on a TAP A320. Oh well.. sorry for the thread drift.

Merry XMas folks.

[Qavion]

Yes, it would mean a change of job, ...

For the lucky ones.

I'm sure this is the attitude for a lot of managers who seem to jump from company to company with relative ease (it seems)... but often with less than satisfactory results for their new company. If Qantas dies, so does the Boeing 744 & 767 in Australia ... and engineers and pilots who only have licences for these aircraft become totally redundant. Well, not completely redundant, but not all want to move to some far flung corner of the globe, away from family and friends, for their new jobs.

Even if Qantas management cost-cutting didn't cause the reputation-destroying accidents and incidents of the last 10 years (perhaps they were just random unavoidable events), the spin doctors who tried to underplay the seriousness of the the accidents were so incredulous, the public just didn't trust them anymore. Passengers are certainly not willing to pay extra for safety they don't entirely believe it exists.

Enter the budget airlines. Who suffers? No one really.... in the short term. Although, some passengers do have trouble believing you get what you pay for.
An article in Time magazine said the days of cheap air fares won't last long. Running airlines is an expensive business, and at some point, management have to break the piggy bank (if there is anything left in it)

I am always surprised how people in general don't want their companies to disappear and others to take the market slot.

Don't be surprised. Surveys are still saying that people are still proud of their national icons, despite troubled times.  I really think the world will be less comforting and colder place without icons like British Airways, JAL, Lufthansa, et al. BTW, it's nice to see the British monarchy is still around despite its so-called irrelevance ; )

Anyway, I feel very humbled to know it was the patriotic "mum and dad shareholders" (and a bit of luck) which kept Qantas from falling into the hands of the type of people who helped caused the current global financial meltdown.

Stir, stir, stir!

The stirring stick is back in your hands

Cheers.
Q>

[Richard McDonald Woods]

Hi Q!
I am happy that people are, by and large, proud of their national flag carriers. And I strongly support the constant search for the highest standards in air safety.

Through professional experience, though, I found that British Airways was a very bureaucratic organsiation because of its civil service heritage.

 The industry has offered us, the passengers, great services such as Ryanair and EasyJet taking fresh approaches to short haul by being 'revolutionary'. The abilities of ten of thousands of Brits to cheaply commute between the UK and many parts of Europe has contributed to a massive growth of dynamic new businesses and second homes in foreign parts. I just cannot see a flag carrier ever being so inovative.

So I think that innovations will continue to be made by the upstarts, and that means a high level of job migrations will continue to be required by those who want to lead the changes.

Happy wintermas (boy, it's cold here!),
Cheers, Richard

[Zinger]

The industrial and Bolshevik revolutions are over. British and related societies traditionally unionise and frequently encounter labor crises and "work to rule", thereby biting owner share of company profit. Results are evident in the disappearing British empire and automotive industry as examples. In Japan you were once hired for life, now- no more. Fiat is an interesting deviation resulting from company strategy in caring for workforce families. Chinese and nearby societies work 15 hours 365 days a year, not by force but drive for success.

In the current different reality, dreamers must awaken or perish. Workers should use their marketable skills to obtain a position, income and job stability. Workers should save for retirement, unexpected developments and economic hardship. Unions destroy the economy- the American car industry is another example. I was warned to never purchase an American car manufactured Fridays and Mondays.

Happy holidays all!!
We had minus 16 C and 20 cm snow, now melting ...

[martin]

HouHouHou...

The Pit! The Pit!

 :mrgreen:

[Qavion]

The Pit! The Pit!

Hardy might have to revise his description of the Pit, Martin... I'm having trouble thinking of "urgent off-topic" subjects ; )

[martin]

Hardy might have to revise his description of the Pit

Suggestions:

[size=18]"[/size]pit, n.:
 . . .
4.    the abode of evil spirits and lost souls; hell: an evil inspiration from the pit.
5.    the pits, Slang. an extremely unpleasant, boring, or depressing place, condition, person, etc.; the absolute worst: When you're alone, Christmas is the pits.  
 . . .
10.    an enclosure, usually below the level of the spectators, as for staging fights between dogs, cocks, or, formerly, bears.

[size=18]"[/size]
(Source)

10. perhaps?  :mrgreen:

Merry Christmas (or some other suitable holiday), everyone!

Cheers,
Martin

[Zinger]

Not being Christian, on Christams Eve I admit my sins and am rushing to confession. Living in an ancient city heart, there are a multitude of beautiful old and new churches and a 13th century cathedral right next door.
Edit: my catholic wife advises there is a 2 hour queue  :roll:

[Shiv Mathur]

Merry Christmas (or some other suitable holiday), everyone!

"Merry Christmas", definitely.  I cannot understand why the 'West' is
behaving so apologetic about celebrating one of their most important
religious occasions.

Shiv

[martin]

...not apologetic, Shiv. The West is just practising to get their heads around the idea that (great-)circling our good old Earth, there are other places than The West  

So, "חנוכה שמח" *) to Opher, only it's already over...  


Cheers,
Martin

*) I very much hope google got that one right ...  :?

[Avi]

*) I very much hope google got that one right ...

It did

[Shiv Mathur]

Martin,

" ... HouHouHou...
The Pit! The Pit! ..."

Yes ... I've replied now in the pit.
http://aerowinx.com/forum/topic.php?post=2276#post2276

Cheers all, and MERRY CHRISTMAS !!

Shiv

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

Me 2


Jeroen
first me-2 post ever from me, I think

[Richard McDonald Woods]

I live in the west, and I am one of the majority who is not a christian!
Happy Winterval!