VIRGIN CHIEF HOLDS FIRMS IN THE FACE OF PILOT STRIKE

Steve Ridgway, chief executive of Virgin Atlantic Airways, has stated that although he sympathizes with its pilots’ calls for pay increases, he has to hold firm to his original offer for the airline to remain competitive. Virgin has offered pilots a 4% increase this year, 3% next year and the same in 2013. However pilots say they want more and are voting now to decide whether to take strike action. The pilots agreed to a pay freeze during the two years since 2008, ostensibly with the expectation they would be rewarded when the economy recovered. With living costs increasing, pilots