Virgin Atlantic 
 © Airbus

Good Week

VIRGIN ATLANTIC Chief executive Steve Ridgway told Flight International the carrier will be profitable in its 2008 financial year, which ended in February. Like other carriers, Virgin's traffic has been hit by the economic downturn but, says Ridgway: "I think we will finish having a reasonable year and probably will surprise a few people, [but] there's definitely going to be a challenge over the next two years because that's really when the economic impact is going to hit."

 

Bad Week

Finnair 
 © Finnair
FINNAIR The carrier's 700 pilots are being put on at least a week's unpaid leave from mid-April as part of a €30 million ($39 million) flight operations cost-cutting drive to counter the economic downturn. The entire catering staff will also go on temporary unpaid leave, lasting two weeks to three months. Senior vice-president Veikko Sievanen says: "In the present climate of demand, flight schedules and the requirement for unpaid leave are being monitored regularly."

 

 

Source: Flight International

Topics