Temporary unemployment at Brussels Airlines?

[TUB023]

i've read about a temporarily job unemployment @ brussels airlines. does anyone know if this is for the maintenance staff aswell? since i'm starting as cabin repair monday

[sn26567]

i've read about a temporarily job unemployment @ brussels airlines.

Indeed. According to the trade unions, SN will use temporary unemployment measures, which will affect non-operational services, but also pilots. The company would have reveived the authorisation from Labour Minister Joëlle Milquet. Management does not deny, but says no decision has been taken yet.

More information:

In French: Chômage économique chez Brussels Airlines, affirment les syndicats
In Dutch: Brussels Airlines denkt aan tijdelijke werkloosheid
Brussels Airlines wil tijdelijke werkloosheid invoeren

[OO-JFP]

In one part of the country, a regional government sponsors companies to take business away from Brussels National while the federal government may have to pay for temporary unemployment at Brussels National.
Belgium at it's best ?

[NCB]

In one part of the country, a regional government sponsors companies to take business away from Brussels National while the federal government may have to pay for temporary unemployment at Brussels National.
Belgium at it's best ?

It's not only a Belgium thing, it's the big problem of competition-oriented way of doing politics.
Anti-competition here, anti-competition there, it's totally useless in a global business if it is not applied in a global way, and it will never be. Clothes and accessories will always be made in low-revenue countries andgovernments support domestic businesses who import it from there. Meanwhile, the domestic producers suffer.

Politicians are people whom you can't beat at law-knowledge, but they have no idea at all on all subjects they vote their laws on, except for simple moral matters. Knowing laws and making laws based on economic, social or other realities, outside the reach of their own realities is asking for too much.
Sarkozy is pitching Dassault Rafale's to Brazil. Do you expect him to know anything about them except for the fact that it's going to support French jobs?

I think that Brussels Airlines is facing tough times ahead.
Let's be real, operating Avro RJ's/B737/A319 at 62% average load factors can't be healthy no matter the yields. Too bad that they haven't taken more initiatives early in the year because they did pretty well in the summer (around 75%LF).
If you see that your flights are half-empty what do you do? You give seats away as last minutes in a random pattern. 100€ return minimum is too expensive, Ryanair can get lower on prices and is the first place all potential leisure customers look up their prices at.

[airazurxtror]

In my view, it's not a question of regional vs national politics.
It's just that these are hard times, and a lot of people either travel less or buy the cheaper tickets available ...
Which is why an LCC terminal at BRU would not be such a bad thing.

[euroflyer]

Which is why an LCC terminal at BRU would not be such a bad thing.

By the time that would be ready and operational the worst time will hopefully be over

[LX-LGX]

Temporary unemployment indeed starts: as from next week.

For some 300 people, mostly from Accounts, Sales, Marketing and HR. And seems also for some pilots.

[Ducatibiker]

In one part of the country, a regional government sponsors companies to take business away from Brussels National while the federal government may have to pay for temporary unemployment at Brussels National.
Belgium at it's best ?

Have a look at the arrogant and rude security agents at BRU airport. That's Belgium at it's best ?
Have a look at the lounges and the absence of food. That's Belgium at its best ?
Have a look at the absence of French speaking newspaper on Brussels Airlines. That's Belgium at its best ? Stop blaming the government but have a close look at how much we the passengers have to pay and what we get in return.

Beginning of December Brussels Airlines will be full member of the *Alliance and be sure that those passengers have higher expectations. Take United Airlines for instance: starting Q2 in 2010, there will be automatic class upgrade, free of charge, for their Elite Members on North America routes including Hawaii, with separate check-in, separate fast security lanes and pre-boarding.

The fast lane at security is still a joke in BRU which shows that this airport is not taking its business and premium passengers seriously. Not convinced ?...well have a look at how F passengers are transferred in Fankfurt, Zurich or Munich !

[euroflyer]

Have a look at the arrogant and rude security agents at BRU airport. That's Belgium at it's best ?

I cannot confirm this judgement, sorry, they are not better and not worse than anyway else in Europe ...

Have a look at the lounges and the absence of food. That's Belgium at its best ?

Hm, well, the Business lounges of LH in FRA, TXL or MUC are not better here at all than the SN lounge in BRU. Take the Senator or First lounge and it is different of course, but so far SN only had one lounge in BRU and not so many pax in real First ?!?

Have a look at the absence of French speaking newspaper on Brussels Airlines. That's Belgium at its best ?

I must have been on planes of a different airline than over the past years There have always been French papers available on my flights. What was however somewhat unpleasant, that there are no other than French or Dutch papers available (for example no German papers when flying to/from Germany and even in English they have only one American paper).

The fast lane at security is still a joke in BRU which shows that this airport is not taking its business and premium passengers seriously.

I can certainly fully agree here. The fast lane is a bad joke and the access gate still does not work properly. When I do my check-in for an LH flight in economy class as Senator on the Internet and print my boarding pass in the office or use the mobile boarding pass on my blackberry I have to go to the check-in counter at Brussels Airport to get a sticker with a bar code in order to open the access gate for the fast lane. I can than put that sticker on the display of my blackberry ... ... ... That is just a very bad joke.

Not convinced ?...well have a look at how F passengers are transferred in Fankfurt, Zurich or Munich !

OK, come on, you cannot compare this. SN has no F pax so far at all, a limited number of Business pax on Africa flights and only recently (re-) introduced Business on European flights. So it seems unfair to compare there operations here with that of LH or LX for intercontinental pax in F-class.

[regi]

we had first class and business class and all kind of goodies. And we had a bankrupt national airline.

Food at the lounge:
a point to think about, right. It did surpise me as well that besides of some cookies, there was nothing else available. Many business people have no time for lavish business dinners , but go to the airport immediately after their appointment/meeting/trade fair visit. They have not eaten yet in the morning, to be able to catch that early bird. In the late afternoon, same thing.
Hot food is not a real necessity. But they could at least offer some prepacked sandwiches, or even some pizza breads to put in a micro wave without assistance of expensive personnel.