Pilot who said replace Ryanair boss with cabin crew ‘transferred to Siberia'
09.12.10
Morgan Fischer, the American pilot who said in October that Ryanair should replace outspoken boss Michael O'Leary with a flight attendant after hearing the chief executive latest cost-cutting idea - axing co-pilots, with O'Leary suggesting that flight attendants could do the job if needed - 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, the American said he was aware of the company's desire to reduce costs ‘whenever feasible’ to keep ticket prices down for the travelling public, adding that ‘I would propose that Ryanair replace the chief executive with a probationary cabin crew member currently earning about €13,200 a year’.
Mr Fischer, 41, was based in Marseille, southern France, but 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. Almost 30 pilots were relocated from the base, and many were offered work in countries such as Spain, Portugal and Italy, according to the report.
A colleague told the newspaper that Mr Fischer's relocation to Kaunas ‘was a fairly considerable kick in the teeth,’ adding, ‘Kaunas is considered Siberia for Ryanair pilots. It's very unpopular to be sent there. It's the back of nowhere, with a completely different language. You're 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 had vacancies. He has resigned and is considering a return to the US, the colleague said.
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