Three months that shook Ryanair: How cancellations sparked a pilot revolt

Within hours of the news Sept 15 that thousands of Ryanair flights had been canceled in Europe, pilots' WhatsApp groups exploded with pent-up frustration. While management explained away the cancellations as a one-off rostering screw-up, pilots believed there was a deeper problem - that disaffected colleagues were leaving in droves. The pilots saw an opportunity to shift the balance of power in a company where they feel they are treated, in the words of one serving captain, "like janitors". A hectic 5 days of Facebook and WhatsApp exchanges and meetings later, representatives of 20 of Ryanair's 87 bases were demanding new contracts. "The discontent has always been there ... but the cancellations triggered everyone to mobilise," one pilot said. <br/>