Brussels Airlines : pilots strike looming

[RoMax]

Competition is growing: KLM / AF / TK / QR / EY and soon also EK, withouth any doubts. Better aircraft, better frequencies, better price. But with a stop as only negative side.

And tell me how this is the pilots fault? Would it be possible that all you name is a management decision to make?

Or maybe it's not that simply to blame everything on the management when you are comparing with airlines like KL, AF, TK, QR,...?! I remember the ceo of British Airways saying that SN's biggest problem is the fact that Brussels is their hub, and that's a damn true statement.
And even if it would all be because of the oh so bad management, that's still no reason to make it even worse by striking.

[BRU]

Competition is growing: KLM / AF / TK / QR / EY and soon also EK, withouth any doubts. Better aircraft, better frequencies, better price. But with a stop as only negative side.

And tell me how this is the pilots fault? Would it be possible that all you name is a management decision to make?

Not blaming management, not blaming pilots. Just showing that the world is moving forward while pilots and mgmt are pointing at each other. You need each other to make the company profitable and also pilots need to realise that there is much more choice and much more competition for the passengers than ever before. So having a strike and thinking there are no consequences is something very wring in my opinion...

[Flanker2]

I don't think that the problem lays on the pilots.
LH and SN's management have been testing the limits of their staff's patience. Staff did 100% and even more.
I'm sure that LH is already very impressed with the dedication of SN's staff and see this as a stable value.

LH's signals point to management. "Results will dictate SN's future as a LH fully-owned subsidiary".

Many empty desks in the B.house, but most of them are low or middle management. Not people who make the important decisions, because those have their own offices. Even a few of those have been changed, but not much has changed.

Personnel morale is very low, my friends at SN don't see a future.
Pilots or not, there isn't much choice of other employers in Belgium, as HR departments of Belgian airlines work closely together.

Very soon, there will be no market left, whether pilots strike or not. It's useless to blame it on the pilots, they have already given more than you can expect from an employee. They work cruel rosters, get one of the lowest take-home pays on the market and didn't strike for many many years if at all.

SN's structure is as lean as it gets, yet the costs are high... it's the cost of operating out of such an anti-corporation country. I read someone write about splitting the operations, between a European operation and the longhaul operation. That sounds like a good idea, if you can base the European operation out of a country like Ireland with two separate AOC's. You could also include all transatlantic flying into the European operation thanks to the open skies agreements that are in place between the EU and the U.S.
Airline happy, crews happy.

But they really need to look at how they operate and how to expand their network to increase revenues with minimal additional costs. With focus on Africa, obviously

[fcw]

Has a solution been found or will the strike resume next monday?

[B.Inventive]

As far as I know there is no information from the talks that took place/are taking place today.
We met with both parties today to be 'informed' of the current state but this was 'pre-meeting' so at this time, no news.

[cathay belgium]

Hell yeah.. A new strike after the announcement that FR landed in BRU, that Vueling will attack, and easyjet expands, that would be ...
Better make some realistic solutions and try to avoid a new strike at any price..
SN dances in front of a big gap...
CXb

[airazurxtror]

A meeting this friday afternoon, between management and unions, will decide if the strike is on or off - the strike having been temporarily stopped, not cancelled for good :
http://www.lalibre.be/economie/actualit ... 9ffde421a0

[liege-bierset]

White smoke ?
http://www.lalibre.be/economie/actualit ... 6f7f37d11d

[Passenger]

White smoke ?
http://www.lalibre.be/economie/actualit ... 6f7f37d11d

Rather a colourful smoke: red, blue, yellow: the colours of the three union delegates who are now looking for a way to land without loosing their face too much. Friday's announcement "negociations are tuff but going good" and Monday's announcement "after days of negociations, we have reached an agreement" are just one big lie. They've all lost.

But there is also a winner: Ryanair. Thanks to the pilots' willingness to damage their own airline, Ryanair now has open access to the business clientele out of Brussels. Why? Because stranded passengers will not minimalize and/or forgot the strike that easy as the unions and pilots think they will do.

Imagine that Ryanair would have announced the start up out of Brussels on 17th November. Would the SN pilots then have gone into a two day strike on 18th Nov? If your answer is "no", you admit that the strike was just a power play and the reason was artificial.

[b-west]

Just heard on the Radio 1 morning news that the pilot unions are thinking of another strike or another form of actions next Friday, at the start of the Christmas holidays.

Unrelated, apparently a large flower basket has just been delivered at the offices of the pilot union. The note on it said: "Thank you, MOL"

[Pocahontas]

I don't think there will be a strike.

[convair]

Just heard on the Radio .... pilot unions ..... another strike or another form of actions ..... at the start of the Christmas holidays.

Great timing guys! Shame on you!

Unrelated, apparently a large flower basket has just been delivered at the offices of the pilot union. The note on it said: "Thank you, MOL"

He'll soon have the opportunity to lay a wreath...

Seriously now, if you were LH, would this encourage you to buy the remaining 55% of SN?!? These nuts (the pilots) are killing their company.

[Passenger]

Seriously now, if you were LH, would this encourage you to buy the remaining 55% of SN?

No. If I was a shareholder at LH, I would suggest my board "let us consolidate our loss in Belgium and write it off. After all, Belgium is the world champion in strike. We have enough own flights to/from Brussels as feeder for our long haul flights out of Frankfurt and Münich".

Let's not forget that, apart from having bought shares, LH also helps SN with a loan that can be recalled.

These nuts (the pilots) are killing their company.

Indeed, it's quite shocking to see how the best skilled staff is playing this game of poker. If they loose, most of them can easily work abroad with their qualifications. But will the pilots and the unions also provide a new job for all cabin crew and for all non-flying employees?

[Boavida]

AGAIN!?

I just informed all my business contacts to avoid Brussels Airlines in the coming months... Great job, pilots. They are indeed killing their own company and they don't even care. With the arrival of Ryanair at BRU, the uncertain situation with LH, the damage to the company image with these constant threats of strike,... I see a new Sabena scenario unfolding. Apparently, it is not possible to have a Belgian airline anymore. Sad but true. So be it.

[Bel33]

If this information is correct, the 2015 home carrier of Brussels Airport will be JAF!
It's a pity to play with fire in this context!

[crew1990]

What does it mean "being the home carier" of BRU

[Pocahontas]

Believing newspapers...

[fcw]

Two questions for all those who are shooting the pilots down in flames:
-Every month your employer deducts several hundreds of euros from your salary for a pension scheme that doesn't exist anymore since 2011. You keep asking him to stop this, but he continues, what do you do?
-Your employer asks you to take three days of unpaid leave every month, he deducts 15% of your salary, but you still have to work fulltime. You ask him, over and over, to give you either your salary back or put the unpaid days on your roster. He says yes, but doesn't do it, what do you do?

[papysn]

Cool down gentlemans,

Nothing has been decided yet, threat can be a pressure mean in a difficult negotiation...

[Passenger]

Two questions for all those who are shooting the pilots down in flames:
-Every month your employer deducts several hundreds of euros from your salary for a pension scheme that doesn't exist anymore since 2011. You keep asking him to stop this, but he continues, what do you do?
-Your employer asks you to take three days of unpaid leave every month, he deducts 15% of your salary, but you still have to work fulltime. You ask him, over and over, to give you either your salary back or put the unpaid days on your roster. He says yes, but doesn't do it, what do you do?

Maybe something like "...OK, after all I am the best paid employee here, and our company is in such financial problems that I understand that offers are necessary. After all, I'm not forced to work here and I can leave the company if I don't agree..."