Brussels Airlines : cabin crew strike looming

[Flanker2]

The passenger doesn't want respect. The passenger wants the best possible service at the lowest possible price.
The pax is partially responsible for creating this hostile environment, so they'll just have to suck it up if there is a strike. But like I said, IMO there won't be one. It's just the unions barking around and SN getting free advertising on hln.be.

I don’t work for an airline and/or airport, so my dear crew members, believe me: you are just a play tool yourselves. Twice. On this forum, you are just a play tool for people working for a competitor airline and/or for a competitor airport, and they love to insist that your strike is justified. Because they will benefit from your strike.

Only if there is a strike or partial strike, one could talk about a real negotiation taking place as neither parties have anything to gain from strikes. LH have seen their deal of CC strikes in recent history, so no, the problem is not us the critics, but the duty rosters. Don't be too naive or pretend to be. I also respect but don't understand your huge passion for SN. What do they do for you that other airlines can't do for you? Did Gustin save your life? Are you so happy paying those high fares for a LCC service?

Are you happy to see the Belgian legacy airline being managed into the ground, while we critics spend a lot of our time to give lengthy suggestions and ask hard questions in the hope that some change for the good will take place? And let's not fool ourselves, most critical predictions did come true, even though you "management fanboys" didn't want to hear any of it.

The critics are now saying that if nothing changes soon, there will be no more SN in a few years and the evidence is detailed and well structured. Another one of those predictions that you don't want to hear but will certainly come true.
If you ask me, you are the one who wants to see this airline go down.

By the way, while CC's fight for decent duty rosters, the hangar faces a problem of its own. The staff resources there are managed in a way that is so mind-boggling that the staff themselves don't understand crap about it... since the c-checks are gone, a big part of the staff is idling around, yet management wants to implement restaurant-style service coupé and flexible rosters, so that the staff can idle around in a pattern that suits management. Tensions are running high over there too.

If all was going well, you wouldn't see my criticism around here.

[Passenger]

The passenger doesn't want respect. The passenger wants the best possible service at the lowest possible price. The pax is partially responsible for creating this hostile environment, so they'll just have to suck it up if there is a strike.

I didn't read any further because the above quote is probably the blooper of the century. It even surpasses your blunder about your airport in downtown Kinshasa.

[flightlover]

The passenger doesn't want respect. The passenger wants the best possible service at the lowest possible price. The pax is partially responsible for creating this hostile environment, so they'll just have to suck it up if there is a strike.

I didn't read any further because the above quote is probably the blooper of the century. It even surpasses your blunder about your airport in downtown Kinshasa.

True the passenger wants respect, But they are struggling to give that same respect for the problem they create.

As they look for the cheapest deal around, they make companies fire people so they can cut costs. By doing so, the remainder of the workforce has to be more flexible. Both in duty times as in the different tasks they have to execute.

When this circle of cost cutting and improving flexibility is nearing its limits. Even for those who really love to do the job. That same passenger can not understand the alarm bell is being rung. Maybe it is about the pay one receives for the amount of work to be done. Maybe it is about the employees seeing standards deteriorate because there is simply not enough manpower to keep it up. Resulting of them sucking up a lot of c*** of the customers.

But in the end there is just one reason. If you pay for a Dacia you can not expect to get a Lexus. Though in service driven sectors, that is what is being expected of the workforce.

[Passenger]

True the passenger wants respect, But they are struggling to give that same respect for the problem they create. As they look for the cheapest deal around, they make companies fire people so they can cut costs. By doing so, the remainder of the workforce has to be more flexible. Both in duty times as in the different tasks they have to execute. When this circle of cost cutting and improving flexibility is nearing its limits. Even for those who really love to do the job. That same passenger can not understand the alarm bell is being rung. Maybe it is about the pay one receives for the amount of work to be done. Maybe it is about the employees seeing standards deteriorate because there is simply not enough manpower to keep it up. Resulting of them sucking up a lot of c*** of the customers. But in the end there is just one reason. If you pay for a Dacia you can not expect to get a Lexus. Though in service driven sectors, that is what is being expected of the workforce.

Passengers have not created one single problem. First deregulation, then competition between airlines and then introduction of low cost airlines has. Passengers don’t have any responsibility in the price war, in the working conditions, in the price setting. We are not organized and we are the subject, the end product: all we do, is buy a ticket. Free market allows us to buy it where we want and at the price we want. Nothing forces you to sell tickets at a cheap price. But once we’ve bought a ticket, we have a contract and we it to be respected. Respect, indeed.

About the Dacia/Lexus thing: imagine someone drops off his Dacia car in a garage for a 50,000 km maintenance. But when he wants to collect his car in the evening, staff refuses to give him his keys because they are on strike and they first want a salary increase. Well, that's the feeling passengers get during a strike: "this was the last Dacia I have ever bought".

[CTBke]

about the dacia story ... this goes nowhere cause you try to compare apples to oranges...

the reason why the passengers are reacting surprised is because they don't know .. they still think that every single FA is on board just to serve them .. and they don't know about all the rest .. all the duties before, during, after and the schedule of late flights to early flights, delayed flights without descent rest prior to their flight. And it's the first time since SN Brussels Airlines that the cabin crew will go on strike ... why is everyone so surprised about it ... in any other sector it's allowed except for the aviation because people want to go on a holiday .. the don't care about the working conditions they just want to go on a holiday .. no excuse for that ...

they still have the glamorous idea that once the plane arrives at destination the crew stays there for days ... or that they just perform 1 flight a day ... they don't know about the heavy duties.

[ihd-fc]

Brussels Airlines is in trouble, all departments (believe me, all of them) work very hard to get it back on track (including management) and crew wants to go on strike and cause millions of loss for this company.

Crew also gave a signal to work hard for the company and they signed an agreement a few months ago. But today crew decides that the agreement was not realistic, so they go on strike (apparently this agreement has no value anymore). The plan to make profit in 2014 was going in the right direction, although there is still a lot of work on the commercial (revenue) side. But this strike will destroy everything...

Let's hope for the best...

[fcw]

About the Dacia/Lexus thing: imagine someone drops off his Dacia car in a garage for a 50,000 km maintenance. But when he wants to collect his car in the evening, staff refuses to give him his keys because they are on strike and they first want a salary increase. Well, that's the feeling passengers get during a strike: "this was the last Dacia I have ever bought".

Perfect! If everybody buys a Lexus, Lexus will be able to raise their prices they will need more employees and the Dacia employees will find a better paid job at Lexus.

That said Passenger, I don't know in which branch you work, but be assured there is somebody out there who is willing to do your job for half of your pay. So will you follow your own logic and offer you boss to work more for half your salary tomorrow, or will you leave?

Back on topic.
In aviation we have come to a situation that pilots are paying to be in the front seat of an airliner. Your pilot has not been selected on merrit, but on the size of their bank account.
The more jobs in aviation the better for those working in it, so nobody in aviation wants BruAir to go bankrupt. Crew at BruAir have done tremendous efforts in the past and have now come to point where they think it is not possible to do more for less. This message has been sent clearly to management, the managers will have to take their reponsabilities and take the right decisions, after that is what they are paid for. As Key west said, maybe there are managers out there who will bring fresh ideas for a lot less money.

[Passenger]

That said Passenger, I don't know in which branch you work, but be assured there is somebody out there who is willing to do your job for half of your pay. So will you follow your own logic and offer you boss to work more for half your salary tomorrow, or will you leave?

As far as I know (after my 35 years in aviation/travel/tourism), cabin crew is not asked to turn in half of their salary. But then, as you suggest: they're indeed free to leave the company.

Crew at BruAir have done tremendous efforts in the past and have now come to point where they think it is not possible to do more for less.

Well, this is exactly the kind of posts I've predicted yesterday: ...my dear crew members, believe me: you are just a play tool yourselves... On this forum, you are just a play tool for people working for a competitor airline and/or for a competitor airport, and they love to insist that your strike is justified because they will benefit from your strike...

Once again: staff from Brussels Airlines who think that their airline can afford a second strike (after that from Swissport) should take a look at the 2012 balance sheet. Ask your union delegate for a hard copy, or look it for free at NBB.be (National Bank).

[fcw]

Crew at BruAir have done tremendous efforts in the past and have now come to point where they think it is not possible to do more for less.

Well, this is exactly the kind of posts I've predicted yesterday: ...my dear crew members, believe me: you are just a play tool yourselves... On this forum, you are just a play tool for people working for a competitor airline and/or for a competitor airport, and they love to insist that your strike is justified because they will benefit from your strike...

Once again: staff from Brussels Airlines who think that their airline can afford a second strike (after that from Swissport) should take a look at the 2012 balance sheet. Ask your union delegate for a hard copy, or look it for free at NBB.be (National Bank).

Please don't read what I didn't write!
It is in the interest of all those who work in aviation that there are as much jobs as possible out there. An expanding BruAir can only be good for Belgian aviation and those working in it. That is what I wrote.

I am fully aware of both the financial situation at BruAir and the working conditions for crew, that is why I wrote: "managers are facing difficult decisions", meaning they will have to be inventive by improving working conditions without spending too much money. But then again that is exactly their job isn't it. To use your words: "do your job or leave".

[fcw]

I don’t work for an airline and/or airport.

AND

after my 35 years in aviation

[teddybAIR]

the reason why the passengers are reacting surprised is because they don't know .. they still think that every single FA is on board just to serve them .. and they don't know about all the rest .. all the duties before, during, after and the schedule of late flights to early flights, delayed flights without descent rest prior to their flight. And it's the first time since SN Brussels Airlines that the cabin crew will go on strike ... why is everyone so surprised about it ... in any other sector it's allowed except for the aviation because people want to go on a holiday .. the don't care about the working conditions they just want to go on a holiday .. no excuse for that ...

they still have the glamorous idea that once the plane arrives at destination the crew stays there for days ... or that they just perform 1 flight a day ... they don't know about the heavy duties.

As a passanger, what I care about is to get home to my wife and son. The solution I choose happened to be an airline ticket providing rights and duties. My duty is to pay the airline fee, which in turn entitles me to board an aircraft that will bring me home at a specified time. Why? Because unlike some others, I have a life outside aviation. So do I want to be respected as a passenger? Yes, but not more than any other civilian. What I do want is to see that a deal is executed as agreed...simple as that!

Whatever the responsibilities of cabin crew are, or whatever their working shedule is, that will not change in any way that due to a strike, I might simply not get to my family in time. Does that mean I don not understand their motivation to strike? Not at all! But in my life, my family is what matters most. Therefore, I tend to avoid companies prone to striking in the moments I foresee to book a flight. And that is where strikers shoot a bullet in their own foot: passengers like me over time (yes, after multiple occasions) develop a tendency to avoid certain airlines when certain rumours start to appear in the news.

Why is this important to them: by doing so, their airline looses top line revenue. Yet, the P&L will have to match in the long run, so now for the same bottom line result, costs will need to be reduced even further...you do the rest of the math!

That is why in my humble opinion, if one stakeholder in this affair deserves all respect, it is the passenger! They are the true lifeline of your company.

[Inquirer]

Looks like a firm deal has just been reached, at least if this one stands the test that is, according to De Tijd:

http://www.tijd.be/nieuws/ondernemingen ... .art?ckc=1

[Passenger]

I don’t work for an airline and/or airport.

AND

after my 35 years in aviation

It is unfair to amend and/or cut quotes. I did not say "35 years in aviation": I've said "after my 35 years in aviation/travel/tourism". But even then, it was with a foreign airline - and it was long before Sabena's bankruptcy (so also long before Brussels Airlines even existed).

[Flanker2]

Strike averted. Sheeeew, that was close. This time, the unions almost maybe probably perhaps possibly really considered it.

I hope for the CC's that something will improve, but I doubt it. This company and its unions have become so predictable.

Tragicomedy or Hollywood? You choose what you want to call it.

[convair]

I hope the CCs will feel a real improvement of their (hard) working conditions and that this compromise will contribute to saving SN's future for the benefit of everyone involved!