Hundreds of long-serving Virgin Atlantic crew members have sued the airline for unfair dismissal, claiming the airline used Covid cutbacks to crack down on senior staff.
An employment tribunal in London will start hearing more than 200 cases next month in which former crew will claim that Sir Richard Branson’s airline unfairly sacked them in favor of cheaper new hires.
Since March 2020, when the Covid pandemic led to lockdowns and global travel restrictions, Virgin has grounded most of its fleet, along with most other airlines.
The airline quickly cut 3,000 jobs, eventually shedding more than 40% of its 10,000 workforce, and created a “settlement pool” for staff who were laid off to potentially be rehired when flights resume.
However, according to one statement, disclosure documents show that Virgin retained 350 new cabin crew members through the pool, some of whom were trained in just one week, while flight managers, who averaged 45 with 20 years’ experience, , were dismissed.
One of the managers who lost her job was Susan Mtsentegart, now 53, who has worked for Virgin for 23 years. She is part of a group of 51 applicants represented by a Luton-based law firm.
She said: “It felt like the world was closing in and job losses were inevitable. But the way they went seemed unfair. But I was impressed that I wasn’t in the pool.
“There were people who didn’t even get their wings – after six weeks of training – in the pool, and it seemed like too many of us at that age were left out.”
McZentegart added: “It was a devastating loss… It felt like I was gone and I was in a dark place with the way they did it. I felt it was an honor to work for Virgin and I couldn’t believe they did what they did.”
A further 150 former staff are making claims through the Crew Union, while 11 are represented elsewhere.
A spokesman for the airline said: “Following the severe impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the aviation industry, Virgin Atlantic has had to make some very difficult decisions. Unfortunately, this included a 45% reduction in the number of people employed across the business.
“Our people are incredibly important to us, from those who have been with us since 1984 to our new recruits. Throughout the termination process, we have been committed to ensuring that all of our employees are treated fairly and compassionately.
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“To allow as many of our people as possible to return as soon as demand allows, we have introduced a reserve pool which has meant that over 1,000 of our crew have returned at their previous seniority level.
“Unfortunately, people have been forced to leave us for impartial, objective and legitimate reasons, following full consultation with our recognized trade unions, elected peer representatives and clear and open ongoing communication.”
The airline warned it was on the brink of collapse before Branson and other shareholders secured a £1.2bn rescue plan in late 2020 to keep it running until international travel resumes.
In an interview with the Guardian in 2022, the airline’s chief executive, Shai Weiss, said the company had to cut back before the pandemic after years of breaking even. Virgin needed to use the “crisis as an opportunity”, asking itself, he said: “Can we be more tightly focused, can we go even further?”