Did you know that the MOD recognises companies who support our people with awards?
The Employer Recognition Scheme rewards companies that demonstrate commitment to serving personnel, reservists, veterans, and military families.
In this episode, InsideAIR lift the lid on a bronze award that was presented to easyJet onboard a flight piloted by RAF Reservists and full-time commercial pilots.
Listen on your favourite podcast app or on our dedicated podcast page.
InsideAir Podcast Episode 144 Transcript
Please note that this transcript is automatically generated, and may have some errors. The original audio is the authoritative wording.
Narrator: You're listening to Inside Air, a 'behind-the-wire' view of the Royal Air Force; its people, technology, and operations.
Flight Lieutenant Chris Sully: Hi, I'm Flight Lieutenant Chris Sully, and welcome to the latest RAF Inside Air podcast. In this episode, we'll hear about a unique presentation of a Bronze Employer Recognition Scheme award, which took place at twenty thousand feet above the ground on an EasyJet flight from Luton to Jersey.
David Morgan: My name is David Morgan. I'm the captain. I've the pleasure of being your captain on the flight today. And probably the first thing that's going through your mind is: what on earth is the captain doing wearing something what appears to be a military uniform?
Air Vice Marshal Jo Lincoln: You know what? Really important that we have partnerships with defence industry, but also with our employers. And it's not just our employers of the reserve today, but it's diversifying the employers of the future. And that's where, for me, the Armed Forces Covenant, the Employer Recognition Scheme, it's about reaching new networks, new businesses that didn't realize that they could partner with us.
Group Captain Ryan Mannering: More importantly for today is being recognised by an employee recognition scheme, which is a Ministry of Defence scheme to recognise employers that value those who are former serving, they are reservists, veterans, support the cadets, and equally their families as well, where they'll aim to give them fair treatment and parity throughout. And this is a celebration of that signatory at twenty thousand feet, which we believe is a record for signing the Armed Forces Employer Recognition Scheme.
Flight Lieutenant Chris Sully: Once again, we'll also reheat a few stories which you may have missed, and we'll be finding out who's under the hat this week with AS1 Ben Russell.
Air Specialist (Class 1) Ben Russell: What's the best thing about your job?
Corporal Ethan Ward: I would say getting to travel globally at any given moment.
Flight Lieutenant Chris Sully: The Employer Recognition Scheme is an MOD initiative to encourage and recognise companies which demonstrate an outstanding commitment to supporting serving personnel, reservists, veterans, and military families. In my day job as managing director of Manx Radio on the Isle of Man, I've helped guide the company from the start through to the awarding of gold status last year. Our award was presented at the Liver Building in Liverpool. Recently, EasyJet earned bronze status at the start of its journey, and the presentation took place on board one of their flights piloted by RAF reservists and full-time commercial EasyJet pilots.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods joined the flight from Luton Airport.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: Hiding in plain sight. Tens of thousands of Britons live double lives, civilian by day and military by choice. They may just be some of the most important people you have never noticed. I'm Squadron Leader Lesley Woods of the RAF Media Reserves. I'm here at easyJet headquarters as they achieve bronze status under the UK Ministry of Defence Employer Recognition Scheme, which recognises the airline's commitment to supporting the armed forces. They're based at London Luton Airport, which is a place I thought I knew well. I've been moving through it for most of my life.
I was only 12 when I made my first flight through here as an unaccompanied minor. I was just one of many, service children whose luggage trunk was twice her size. To us, it was just a place that we passed through on the way to somewhere else. The thousands of us flown home each school holiday to see our military parents serving overseas. And back then, that was a commercial partnership that quietly held a community together. Walking through the terminal in uniform with several of my colleagues, I met up with David Morgan, the Chief Operating Officer of easyJet, who also happens to hold the rank of Honorary Air Commodore in one of the squadrons of the RAF Reserves. He was to be our captain of the day's flights to and from Jersey, where we would present the award mid-flight at 20,000 feet.
Chris Bailey: A very warm welcome aboard this easyJet flight taking you to Jersey. My name is Chris Bailey. It's my pleasure to be the cabin manager. Working on today's flight with me at the front is Kelly, in the middle is Taylor, and the back is Kira.
We're all here to make your journey as safe and comfortable as possible. So as if we could be please just let us know. I'd like to extend a special welcome to our easyJet Plus card holders and our easyJet update customers. Our journey time to Jersey today will be 45 minutes, but first of all, we're gonna take you through the safety features of this Airbus A390, and would appreciate a few moments of your time.
Thank you.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: We definitely attracted a few strange looks as we boarded before David took to the PA system to explain who we were and why we were here
David Morgan: Ladies and gentlemen, a very good morning. My name is David Morgan. I'm the captain-- I have the pleasure of being your captain on the flight today. And probably the first thing that's going through your mind is, "What on earth is the captain doing wearing something what appears to be a military uniform?" You'd be quite Correct. let me explain what this is about. So next week is Armed Forces Week, where we celebrate up and down the country those people that serve in the Armed Forces including the Reserves. And there are many reserves, thousands of reserves in the UK, thirty-seven thousand, in fact, and we have a privilege to be part of that community.
So myself as captain and my first officer today are wearing this stuff even though we actually work for easyJet, and you can probably see it off our lanyards there. And we have many of our colleagues together with us today as well. Now, a second part we're, doing today, which is a special treat for us, is that we've got a little ceremony which will take place during the flight where we're going to-- easyJet is gonna be awarded a recognition of our pledge towards the Armed Forces, that we are an employer that supports the Armed Forces when they leave as veterans or indeed serve as reserves.
And we've got the privilege of having the head of the Air Force Reserves today Air Vice Marshal Jo Lincoln who's on board with us, who'll be presenting that award to one of our easyJet staff Mark Frost who's sitting quietly in the corner there. Mark is a veteran of the Royal Marines served in places like Afghanistan and so on, and has been instrumental in setting up some of the stuff we do in easyJet. So bit of a special flight today, but otherwise, it's just a normal routine flight to Luton. It's gonna take us about just under an hour to get there. The weather in Luton, not quite as nice as here, a little bit of clarity, chance of a small rain shower, but I think it's gonna worry us. So that's it from me. Our cabin crew today, Chris Bailey is looking after us. He's the head of easyJet Cabin Operations, so we're in very good hands today. And then we've got Kelly, Kira, and Keegan, if I remember correctly will be looking after you. Thank you very much, and we'll speak again later.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: More than five hundred part-time volunteer reserves have identified aviation as their primary civilian industry, and we were joined in the cabin by Group Captain Ryan Mannering, who flies for another UK airline.
Group Captain Ryan Mannering: Noting that it's Armed Forces Week coming up this week and next. Their signatory to the Armed Forces Covenant is a declaration that they will recognise former service members, veterans, reservists, and their families. More importantly for today is being recognised by an employee recognition scheme, which is a Ministry of Defence scheme to recognise employers that value those who are former serving. They are reservists, veterans, support the cadets, and equally their families as well, where they'll aim to give them fair treatment and parity throughout. And this is a celebration of that signatory at twenty thousand feet, which we believe is a a record for signing the Armed Forces Recognition Scheme. Thank you very much for your attention. Apologies to disturb your flight.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: After the presentation, on our way back to Luton, I caught up with some of the passengers who were very keen to ask us questions.
Can I ask you to introduce yourself?
Andy Hunter: Yeah. Hi, I'm Andy Hunter, and I'm a passenger flying home to Jersey with the reserves who have taken over the plane for the day.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: When you say we've taken over the plane for the day, what was that like when you walked on board?
Andy Hunter: I thought it was first, it was a bit surprising, but it's great to see that for most of us as civilians, we don't come in touch with the reservists that often, and it's great to see the reservists who've got their day jobs also committing to the work they're doing for the military as well. And were you surprised? Was it something a bit unusual when you came on board and saw us? Yeah, I think I've probably done about eight thousand flights over my business career. This is the first time I've been flown by the military
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: And you have a personal connection to the Royal Air Force, do you not?
Andy Hunter: Yes. My father was a pilot in the RAF. He flew Canberra’s and Victors, and my brother was a Harrier pilot, Tornado pilot, and ended up as an Air Commodore, just retired two years ago.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: And you're the only one in your family that chose not to join up. Do you regret that now?
Andy Hunter: I think there's a lot of pluses for being in the military, and it's always good that those of us who aren't in there support it, but it just wasn't quite for me. It was f- for my father and for my brother, it was a fantastic career.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: So we've just met this morning.
Danni Lefevre: Yes.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: And you found us on board your aircraft back to London Luton.
Danni Lefevre: Yes. Yeah.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: Can you tell me a bit about why you're on the flight?
Danni Lefevre: So I am originally from Jersey, but I now live in London, so I've been back for a couple of days. And it just so happens that I've sat on the flight, and I've been next to Joe, who's in the RAF Reserve, and I also have a brother that's in the Royal Navy. So it's very weird that this has happened at the same time, very big coincidence. And we're on the flight because easyJet are being awarded this honour about supporting members in the Armed Forces and the reserved. And I think it's really great because on a familial level, I think it's great because you're supporting people that have served or they're in the reserves, and I just think it's an amazing opportunity for easyJet to be recognised in this way. Yeah.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: So it's very nice to meet you. My name's Lesley.
Danni Lefevre: Nice to meet you. I'm Danni Lefevre.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: And so Danni, what did you think when you first found us on board this morning? It's not your average flight, right?
Danni Lefevre: No, it's not. We saw you guys outside the aircraft taking photos with your banner, and my eyes opened wide. I knew I recognised those uniforms somewhere. And it was interesting. I was intrigued to see what was happening.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: And what are your impressions having seen us on board today, easyJet being recognised for signing the Armed Forces Covenant?
Danni Lefevre: I think it's great. There's lot... You hear lots of stories about people that come out of their time serving in the Armed Forces, and they potentially struggle with mental health or what they're gonna do in their day-to-day life after serving. And I think if you have people that are gonna support employers that are gonna support you after being through, going through stuff like that I think it's a great thing to do.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: Have you ever thought about joining up yourself?
Danni Lefevre: Oh, I don't know. I think I'll leave that one to my brother, but the reserves could be an option for me.
I've-- I'm a musical theatre performer, so I understand what it's like to be put through a difficult time physically and mentally, not in the ways that someone in the Forces would be. But I think potentially a reserves, I think it was 27 days you have to serve in, in the year. I think if you're someone that's in a job that means you can do that, and you want to do something on the weekends that serves a purpose, then I think it's a great thing to, to join up to.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: And if you did join-
Danni Lefevre: Yeah ...
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: do you know what kind of job you'd like to do?
Danni Lefevre: I think I'm quite a people person, so maybe something to do with social media, so something like what you're doing or maybe HR. But it w- I would have to see. I'd have to go in for an interview ask what they can offer me and what I can offer them.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: And what job does your brother do in the Royal Navy, and is he gonna take the mick out of this?
Danni Lefevre: He will definitely be angry at me. No he is a helicopter pilot in the Navy, very smart. I think he got the good genes in terms of the brains, but I'm the character.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: It's lovely to meet you, so thank you very much for your support.
Danni Lefevre: Thank you.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: So hi, good morning.
Unnamed Passenger: Good morning.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: We've just met on the flight to London Luton Airport from Jersey.
Unnamed Passenger: Yes.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: And can I ask, what are you guys doing on board today?
Unnamed Passenger: We are off to see Harry Styles at Wembley this evening.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: Wow. And you're taking some RAF Reserves merch with you, I can see.
Unnamed Passenger: We are indeed, yes. We are very happy with the particularly the illuminous wristband, which will help us tonight in the dark.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: I hope Harry Styles sees it and and gives us a shout-out. So what did you think? You came on board today, you've seen the Royal Air Force. It's not an average thing, right?
Unnamed Passenger: Yeah it's really exciting. What do you think, Poppy?
Poppy: It's very unusual. I wasn't expecting that.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: Have you ever come across the RAF Reserves before, or is this the first time you've seen us?
Poppy: I think my godmother's part of the Armed Forces.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: What did you think when the captain came out and said, "Hello, I'm wearing a Royal Air Force flying suit"?
Poppy: I was, like, surprised
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: But in a good way, right?
Poppy: Yeah.
Unnamed Passenger: It's not something you see every day. Not... We've never had this before on an easyJet flight, so it's made the flight a lot more entertaining and interesting.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: Have a fabulous time at the concert, and thank you very much.
Unnamed Passenger: Thank you very much.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: So I'm sat with David Morgan, who is the chief operating officer of easyJet. And sir, I understand you also have another rank.
David Morgan: Yes, that's right. I'm also the honorary air commodore for 622 Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force, so I have the rank of air commodore.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: And how do you combine those two lives in one? How do the two roles go together?
David Morgan: They complement each other very well, actually. My, my main day job, if you like is running the operation at easyJet, so that obviously keeps me pretty busy. But it's a real privilege for me to be able to support the reserves in through my role as the honorary air commodore for the squadron at Brize Norton. And we have pilots and other crew that support the Air Mobility Force. we have pilots flying in, in aircraft like the Voyager and the and the Atlas and the C-17 in all theatres of operations.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: And what do you think are the benefits of employing RAF reserves within the ranks of easyJet?
David Morgan: It's enormously beneficial for us to take both pilots or any reserves, frankly, that come into the organization and veterans that have been regulars , that join us. They bring a bunch of skills with them. The obvious ones like teamwork and the way they work, the work ethic and so on. And we're really proud to be someone who enjoys that, that relationship with the armed forces and welcomes those those people when they leave either the regulars or decide to become reservists.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: And have you ever found it a conflict of interest, or has there ever come a moment when you've found yourself living the two lives in one where the roles either converge or go separate ways?
David Morgan: Not yet. Not Yet. I think most of the time you can find that balance between what you need to do at work and what your roles are as a reservist. I I'm I have a fairly light touch role as a reservist compared to some people that do a lot more. And of course as an employer we try and work through any challenges in terms of what's needed with the business versus what's needed in their reservist role. Like I say the benefits far outweigh any sort of challenges of managing that, that relationship, if you like.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: And so EasyJet is based here at Luton Airport.
David Morgan: Yes.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: Luton Airport itself has a long history with the military. Back in World War II, it was actually RAF Luton briefly while it was required during the war. So you said something earlier about there being some old wartime RAF tunnels under the airfield?
David Morgan: Yes, that's Right. during the COVID period where everything was shut down, we had to operate some of our aircraft to keep them airworthy and got to walk through some areas that we don't normally walk through in the airport, but they're still they're, still accessible and I believe they stem from the time where it was a RAF base.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: I wonder what they would've been used for.
David Morgan: Who knows?
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: And then obviously through the '70s, '80s and '90s, many of the earlier airlines such as yourself were in partnership with the armed forces to help get service kids back to their parents who were serving overseas. So would you see this as a modern day partnership? Is this kind of like the way that military civil society should be going?
David Morgan: I think so. It's a nice way to think about it and if we reflect on the ambition for a whole society approach to defence, then I think EasyJet lives that, in that we are a commercial organization, but at the same time we recognise that we've got an important role to play i- in terms of is it supporting veterans that join us or reservists that still have an active role within the armed forces. And we're proud to do our part in that.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: So I'm now with Air Vice Marshal Jo Lincoln, who is director RAF Reserves. And ma'am, I believe you've been on board with us on the aircraft today. How did you find the flights?
Air Vice Marshal Jo Lincoln: What an incredible morning. So I've just flown with EasyJet from London Luton to Jersey and back, and it's been brilliant. Not only to see the crew operating who are one minute EasyJet and the next minute RAF pilots in their reserve capacity, but also to meet so many people from different sectors of society and just having a conversation about the RAF Reserves and what we do.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: And what are the benefits of employing aviation industry colleagues inside the RAF Reserves?
Air Vice Marshal Jo Lincoln: You know what? The thing about the RAF Reserves is its diversity. Its diversity of thought and what people can bring in, their skills, their experiences from outside, and actually help us think differently about how we deliver our business.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: And this is obviously a long partnership with something like this was RAF Luton, as we said earlier, in World War II. What are the importance, benefits of working in that sort of civil defence close cooperation?
Air Vice Marshal Jo Lincoln: You know what? Y- you're hearing the national narrative. The threat is real right now, and the only way that the United Kingdom can be resilient is if we look at this through a whole society approach. So it doesn't matter if you're civilian, if you're regular, you're reserve, this is one team that looks at the defence and resilience of our nation.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: And what were some of the responses you were getting on board the aircraft? Some of the passengers were quite surprised to see us.
Air Vice Marshal Jo Lincoln: I think they were really surprised. I think in the UK we don't wear uniform a lot, certainly not on a flight. And so everyone was just interested, who were we? What do we do? And actually, some of the questions were, "Oh, you only have to do 27 days a year, and I could do that too." And actually, you could join until age 54. These things don't seem to be very well known. I think it's just about making us more accessible, and what we do, it's incredible. You can have a day job, and you can come and be a reservist.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: And we may have made some new recruits today by the sounds of it. You met a couple of young ladies on board that might be interested in joining.
Air Vice Marshal Jo Lincoln: In fact, I met a couple young ladies and also a fascinating young gentleman ranging from working in government to performing arts. Some of them had actually just been doing an audition over in Jersey. And really fit young people who've got an appetite to serve but didn't know they could. And I think for me it's just about knowing these things are possible, knowing who to talk to, how to access us. For me, the door is open. Come have a conversation, and it can all be without commitment.
Squadron Leader Lesley Woods: And where do you see partnerships such as this going in the future? Is this something the RAF Reserves are going to build more upon?
Air Vice Marshal Jo Lincoln: You know what? Really important that we have partnerships with defence industry, but also with our employers. And it's not just our employers of the Reserve today, but it's diversifying the employers of the future. And that's where, for me, the Armed Force Covenant, the Employer Recognition Scheme, it's about reaching new networks, new businesses that didn't realize that they could partner with us.
Corporal Victoria Andrews: This is Reheat for Inside Air. I'm Corporal Victoria Andrews. For the first time, an RAF Rivet Joint intelligence aircraft has been successfully refuelled by a French Air and Space Force A330 MRTT Phoenix, marking a significant milestone in NATO airpower interoperability. This was achieved during an exercise where UK, French, and United States air forces conducted a complex air-to-air refuelling mission.
Aircraft systems, procedures, timing, and crew coordination were tested in a realistic operational sequence, underlying the disciplined preparation required to deliver safe, repeatable, multinational air operations. Elsewhere, the A400M has made its debut at Exercise Red Flag Alaska. Over two weeks, four crews planned and executed eighteen complex missions alongside the United States Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force, and the Republic of Singapore Air Force.
Across seventy-seven flying hours, the A400M platforms integrated with more than sixty aircraft and supported air drop and tactical air mobility tasks. The exercise strengthens Atlas force readiness to operate globally alongside allies and partners. And RAF Odiham has celebrated forty-five years of the Chinook force at the Hampshire station. The Chinook is capable of operating in diverse environments, from Arctic and desert to jungle. Armed with self-defence systems, it primarily supports troop transport, resupply, and casualty evacuation, carrying up to fifty-five troops or ten tons of cargo. Secondary roles include search and rescue, as well as providing support to a wide variety of specialist tasks.
That's Reheat on Inside Air.
Flight Lieutenant Chris Sully: Thank you very much, Vic. And now it's time to find out who's Under the Hat with Ben.
Air Specialist (Class 1) Ben Russell: I'm AS1 Ben Russell, and this is Under the Hat, where we get to know an aviator in less than a minute Name you're known by?
Corporal Ethan Ward: Corporal Ethan Ward.
Air Specialist (Class 1) Ben Russell: What's your profession?
Corporal Ethan Ward: So I'm in the RAF Police, and I'm currently at Tactical Police and Security Squadron at RAF Brize Norton.
Air Specialist (Class 1) Ben Russell: What's the best thing about your job?
Corporal Ethan Ward: I would say getting to travel globally at any given moment.
Air Specialist (Class 1) Ben Russell: Hardest part of your job?
Corporal Ethan Ward: Maybe the lack of structure as well, actually that you could be out the door at an hour's notice.
Air Specialist (Class 1) Ben Russell: Best location you've served?
Corporal Ethan Ward: I would have to say Northern Australia. Getting to see the Great Barrier Reef whilst technically still on duty.
Air Specialist (Class 1) Ben Russell: What bit of luxury kit do you never deploy without?
Corporal Ethan Ward: Oh, it would have to be my memory foam pillow when on the flights.
Air Specialist (Class 1) Ben Russell: And what's your proudest moment in the RAF?
Corporal Ethan Ward: Probably, I would say completing my, the phase two police training.
Flight Lieutenant Chris Sully: That's all for this episode of Inside Air. Please give us a review, subscribe via your favourite podcast app, and then join us again soon.
Narrator: You've been listening to Inside Air, a 'behind-the-wire' view of the Royal Air Force; its people, technology, and operations. If you're serving in the RAF and have a story for us, please speak to your unit media and communications officer.
Inside Air is written and produced for the Royal Air Force by RAF Media Reserves.
