Budget Carrier EasyJet ‘hanging by a thread’, says Union Official

EasyJet is ‘hanging by a thread’, said an EasyJet Captain who is also a union rep.

EasyJet Captain and British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) rep Mark Entwisle claims that the airlines future is ‘hanging by a thread’ as it continues to deal with the global crisis. Entwhistle is reported to have said: “I think the easiest way to put it is that the company is hanging by a thread. The situation is dire. If we don’t have a good summer next summer and make a considerable amount of money, we really are going to be out of a job.”

The language used by Martin Entwisle appears stark. However, his presentation to fellow pilots at Easyjet, which was recorded and leaked to the BBC, could have been just a pitch. EasyJet and Balpa were, at the time, in the process of thrashing out a deal to mitigate redundancies. After a prior meeting with Easyjet management, Mr Entwisle’s overall message to colleagues is that these are such extreme times, that a deal, which would have seemed inconceivable six months ago, is their best bet.

The recording does shine a light on just how bleak this winter will be for Easyjet. However, it has to said that there is nothing to suggest that the airline’s predicament is any worse than that of any of its competitors. Every airline has been burning cash for months and no-one can say when international travel will truly recover.

It is understood that the meeting between Mr Entwisle, three other representatives of the pilots’ union Balpa and senior EasyJet management took place two weeks ago. In response, EasyJet said that Mr Entwisle’s claims do not reflect what EasyJet or its finance officer said in the meeting. Pilots for the company accepted a cut in salary yesterday to save their jobs and avoid mass redundancies.

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