Ryanair CEO offers pilots better pay to stay

CEO of embattled airline Ryanair has written to pilots in a bid to convince them to stay.

Chief Executive Michael O'Leary is offering the staff better pay and conditions, apologising for changes that caused major disruptions to their rotas – the BBC reports. However, despite the CEO’s efforts, the letter has reportedly not been well received.

An unidentified source told the BBC: "It's the standard. It's a, ‘How nice we are’, followed by a carrot and then a threat." O’Leary’s letter comes after Ryanair was forced to cancel up to 50 flights a day, in order for staff to catch up on their holiday entitlement. Ryanair offered pilots a one-off bonus of up to £12,000 to prevent further cancellations, meaning pilots would have to give up their holidays. However, The Guardian has obtained a draft letter signed by Ryanair pilots from across Europe, rejecting the offer and warning they will now “work to rule”.

In the past two weeks, many of the pilots have opted to join unions to contest the disruptions caused by the rota gaffe. However, O’Leary urged pilots not to join "one of these less financially secure or Brexit-challenged airlines”, adding that Ryanair was a "very secure employer in a very insecure industry".