EasyJet Pilots Outline GBP5M Plan To Improve Airline

26th Jul 2010 06:34

LONDON (Dow Jones)--Pilots at EasyJet PLC (EZJ.LN), the airline fraught by months of boardroom battles, have outlined GBP5 million of cash injections to help improve performance, union British Airline Pilots' Association (BALPA) said Sunday. The union cited shortage of crew as one reason for easyJet's poor performance. BALPA said it has been working with the new management to help improve the airline's punctuality, and pilots have just backed a deal by 3 to 2. The deal includes extra help to draw in new pilots, major review of pilot numbers and rostering practices that is underwritten by an initial injection of at least GBP5 million. Turning the airline around will be a "huge challenge because of what has been going on," said BALPA General Secretary Jim McAuslan, adding the boardroom battle with founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou has done much harm to the airline's brand. "He is much admired in easyJet but risks going from hero to zero and damaging the very brand on which his good name comes," he said. McAuslan said the long drawn-out boardroom spat had led to the wrong operational decisions being made. "The thing that has hit the hardest is the decision by former chief executive Andy Harrison to freeze pilot recruitment which has contributed to a pilot shortage," said McAuslan. "But there have been other unwise cost cutting measures; one example was a proposal not to provide pilots with tea or coffee which would have saved very little money but cost a fortune in lost goodwill." -By Kaveri Niththyananthan; [email protected], +44-207-842-9299 (END) Dow Jones Newswires July 26, 2010 01:34 ET (05:34 GMT)