Ryanair pilot 'sent to Siberia' after O'Leary comment
09.12.10
Thee American pilot working for Ryanair who said in October that the budget airline should replace outspoken boss Michael O'Leary with a flight attendant after hearing the chief executive latest cost-cutting idea - replacing co-pilots with flight attendants - has now quit after being reassigned to a remote base in Lithuania, described by Ryanair crew as 'Siberia' the Financial Times (FT) reports.
In a letter to the FT in October, Morgan Fischer said he was aware of the company's desire to reduce costs ‘whenever feasible’ to keep ticket prices down, adding that ‘I would propose that Ryanair replace the chief executive with a probationary cabin crew member currently earning about €13,200 a year’. At the time the airline responded that it was 'something they would consider,' but apparently ti did not go down as well as they made out.
Mr Fischer, 41, was based in Marseille, southern France, where he was a pilot and also trained new staff, but he was offered a transfer to Lithuania's second-largest city Kaunas after the airline announced it was closing the Marseille base following a disagreement with French authorities over the legality of its staff contracts. Around 30 pilots were relocated from the base, and many were offered work in countries including Spain, Portugal and Italy.
A colleague of Mr Fischer told the newspaper that his relocation to Kaunas ‘was a kick in the teeth,’ adding, ‘Kaunas is considered Siberia for Ryanair pilots. It is very unpopular. It is the back of nowhere, with a completely different language. You are in Eastern Europe, and the money is dreadfully bad.’
According to Ryanair, Mr Fischer did not submit a request for a reassignment destination, and was therefore transferred to a base where they have vacancies. He has resigned and is considering a return to the US, his colleague told the FT.
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