Ryanair pilots up ante with double wage rise demand

Ryanair’s pilot uprising shows little signs of abating, with an ad-hoc group demanding that a wage increase turned down by crews at London’s Stansted Airport be doubled and extended across the airline’s European bases.

The unofficial European Employee Representative Council made the proposal to pilots after cockpit crews at Ryanair’s biggest base rejected the existing offer, according to a document sent to pilots on Sunday. The group has asked for feedback from air crew and pledged to organise strikes if a deal can’t be reached.

In a push for broader changes to working conditions, 60% of pilots at Stansted on Friday voted against a raise that would have boosted compensation to about 20% more than rivals Norwegian Air Shuttle and Jet2. The rogue pilot group is demanding an increase in basic pay to £150,000 (€168,000) for captains in the company, compared with £64,000 currently.