Covid: Travel industry workers set up online support networks

Over the past 18 months thousands of people within the travel industry have lost their jobs, been put on furlough and left high and dry without their beloved 'flying family'.

Pilots, cabin crew and wider travel colleagues have come together to support one another online in these times which have seen huge life changes.

David dreamed of being a pilot since the age of five, going on to achieve his dream in the skies for 15 years. But after the captain was made redundant from Flybe when it collapsed in 2020, he was left with "an overwhelming feeling of stress - which was beyond stress", as he pondered how to keep his family and mental health afloat.

"You can't just go and fly another plane," said David, about the struggle out-of-work pilots have faced throughout the pandemic, as they watched airlines around the world go in to administration and friends and acquaintances lose their livelihoods.

He felt his wellbeing spiralling as he struggled to see a way out, going from flying around the world one day, to being stuck at home without a career the next.

"There's a real importance about mental health in aviation because we are still normal people doing a job but carrying responsibility and we need to be sure that the people, at the front and cabin crew are all OK," he said.

The pressures on the industry has left thousands of pilots, cabin crew and support staff needing help.

David is among hundreds who have turned to Resilient Pilot, a project set up to offer mentoring and online workshops to everyone from those who have just gained their license to fly, to captains with thousands of flying hours under their wings.

Participants are able to share their experiences and speak honestly about the effect the impact of the pandemic has had on flying.

David said of the service: "What Resilient Pilot has done is something amazing, and that is just connecting people... in the industry and giving someone the ability to talk.

"Just to talk to someone from the same background, the same experience and passion. That is what it is about - the drive to become a pilot or cabin crew and to lose it has been hard."

Karen Bath, a former air stewardess who went into management, training and recruitment in a career spanning more than 30 years, is one of the co-founders of Resilient Pilot.

"The independence that we offer by the fact that we're not connected to an airline, we're not connected to a regulator even, [it] provides people with a greater reassurance and confidence in the fact that we're discreet and that the discussions they have with us are totally utterly in confidence and for their own personal wellbeing benefit," she said.

Resilient Pilot is closely tied to The Centre of Aviation Psychology (CAP), which promotes positive mental health across the industry.

It was set-up in the wake of the Germanwings air disaster in 2015 in which 150 people died when the co-pilot crashed the aircraft into a mountain.

Karen reassures anyone in doubt of speaking about their mental health during tough times to reach out and seek help, just like they would if they had a broken arm.

Former Virgin Airways colleagues Simon Costello and Trevor Jenkins set up Not Just Crew, a private social media group which now has over 10,000 members from the world of aviation who came together in the wake of the pandemic as thousands of cabin crew were grounded.

The name simply defines the staff as multi-talented, as many cabin crew look for work elsewhere either temporary or permanently.

Simon said the group has helped hundreds of people find jobs and create a new network, putting old rivalries between airlines behind.

"There was always competitive rivalries between airlines such as British Airways and Virgin. They have never got on… but there is none of that now. Now everyone has come together and that is what we love so much about what has come out of all this," he said.

"Some people had worked for Virgin since 1984 and never had to go for a job interview before, so it's been helping people like these who've not applied for work in over 30 years," he added.

Simon left Virgin Atlantic in 2009 to be closer to his family in Northumberland, however his passion for aviation "never left him" as he went on to work as a clinical care assistant within the ambulance service.

"Everything I learnt through my flying career I have transferred that to working in an ambulance and doing everything you can for that one patient while you have a short amount of time with them and we are seeing so many people do this."

Sarah, not her real name, from Worcestershire used to fly regularly from Birmingham Airport but since March 2020 has flown just three times.

"It sounds cheesy but we are one big family, all crew members whoever we work for have all come together."

She said the social media groups have helped connect the travel industry and given them a voice.

"It's nice to know that you are not the only one feeling down because the whole industry is the same and we're looking out for one another."

Kelly Rimmer, who flew for more than 10 years, is now one of the people throwing her support, knowledge, and skills to the group after leaving Virgin Airlines.

Since leaving aviation, Kelly, who has lived in Manchester and Birmingham, has worked at some of London's five-star hotels including The Savoy and The Dorchester after realising "the grass really is greener on the other side".

"I'm active on LinkedIn and saw the amount of jobs that have been around so I decided to start sharing them with the Facebook group… not just in the UK but across the world.

"I didn't have these tools, resources and support when I left. I see how this has affected a huge amount of people across the world… it's just to give people hope - there are options out there."

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