LaudaMotion, pilots reach agreement, avoiding job cuts

Ryanair subsidiary LaudaMotion and its pilots have reached an agreement on two labor issues, avoiding the possibility of job cuts at the Vienna-based LCC, according to a local news report. Both sides agreed to “another wording” of the carrier’s policy of placing pilots on vacation when they reached the legal limit of 900 flight hours per year, Sandro Mayer, chairman of the works council representing employees, told the Austria Press Agency Tuesday. The airline and pilots also agreed to a change in a proposal to require pilots to accumulate at least 850 flight hours a year or face a reduction in monthly free days from 10 to seven, APA reported. The airline had no immediate statement on the agreement but would provide details soon, CEO Andreas Gruber said. In a July 31 letter to employees, Gruber said as many as 30 of its 125 flight crews could lose their jobs if they did not agree to changes he said were needed to improve efficiency.<br/>