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SAS Laying off Senior Pilots

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Mamma

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 29, 2005
Posts
2,802
It must be rather tense over there...

SAS laying off oldest pilots

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), faced with needed cost-cutting and
conflicts in their cockpits, has decided to lay off 50 of its most
senior pilots. SAS has recently been caught in conflict, yet again.

The layoffs will come in conjunction with SAS' decision to withdraw 18

aircraft from service during the winter months. Another 40 veteran
pilots will be laid off during 2009.

SAS spokesman Claus Sonberg told website takeoff.dk on Monday that the

airline had reached agreement with the pilots' union on the looming
layoffs. "We have agreed that the layoffs will affect those who would

soon be retiring regardless, instead of the young pilots," Sonberg said.

That may bring an end, if bitter, to an ongoing conflict between new
and veteran pilots within their own labour organization. Pilots over
age 60 who have chosen to keep working, despite union guidelines that

they retire, have complained that they’ve been bullied by their
younger colleagues.

Civil aviation authorities worried that the bullying was affecting
flight safety. SAS disagreed, but is obliged to address the
authorities' concerns.

Last week came news that SAS planned to lay off 110 pilots. Those with

the most seniority usually are the last to go, but now SAS is
radically altering traditional practice.
 
They'll be alright..

SAS hasn't hired anyone since around 2000, only laid people off. The company is in deep crisis. While it's competitors like LH, AF and BA have been posting record profits the last couple of years SAS has done very poorly. Coupled with VERY strong and spoiled unions (especially the strike happy Danes) and a string of unfortunate incidents/accidents on the Q400 fleet last year things have gotten very bad. My SAS stocks sure are a proof of that :mad: . Yeah I know, a pilot should know better than to buy airline stocks..

SAS had for many years pretty much monopoly on the Scandinavian market and when the low cost carriers came into the market they were too slow to adapt. It doesn't help either when you have three different countries as owner.

The guys being let go for sure have had very good careers and will walk away with some very nice penisons. No need to feel sorry for them..

The SAS fleet is very old considering it's European with a bunch of thirsty MD's and are in desperate need of getting newer frames on property to be able to compete in the European market.

The SAS management has pretty much tried everything they could when it comes to cutting costs, so this is probably a desperate final action trying to save a sinking ship. Many believe only a buyout from LH can save them, and I believe they are right.

FZ from Scandiland
 
The guys being let go for sure have had very good careers and will walk away with some very nice penisons. No need to feel sorry for them..

There are plenty of A340 contracts out there if they want to keep flying
 
So much for seniority. Sounds like their union sold them out just like ours did to us. One more sign its time to bailout of the scheduled airline biz...
 
So much for seniority. Sounds like their union sold them out just like ours did to us. One more sign its time to bailout of the scheduled airline biz...

Well, knowing how things work back home I highly doubt they are leaving empty handed. In fact a lot of the guys are probably happy to get out.

Like I said these guys were lucky enough to experience the golden years of airline flying, and it just aint what it used to be. A few years back, in effort to introduce a savings package, SAS upped the max flight hours per year from 500 to 700/year. The good life these guys were used to are no longer and many feel that if they can walk away with a good pension close to what they are making working and live a relaxed life as retired on a golf course or on their boat, why not.

I'm not a fan of what's happening in our industry, but the problem with SAS has been that they have been so protected that it could very well cause their own downfall. Ten years ago people would have sent you to the mental home if you suggested SAS could face bankruptcy, now not so.

As far as the union selling them out they are actually doing the opposite to what happened in the US with the 65 thing and protecting the future instead of the past.

Again, the unions have been TOO strong for their own good IMHO. Look at what happened to Alitalia. One of my copilots is Italian and when I hear the stories how things are done there, mainly due to too strong unions, one is not surprised they are in as a bad shape as they are. Protection is good, but too much can have the opposite effect.

FZ
 
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sas and their lack of long haul growth routes have severely handicapped them. Especially when malasia is flying a 747 from stockholm to thailand, something that SAS should be doing its their back yard and the plane is always full.

No florida direct flights in the states? Their cabine service has gotten very good in the past few years which is an irony.

I fly them a couple of times a year. I'm dissapointed to see this new cost cutting measure.
 

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