“...nothing much can go wrong until it's time for him to land.”
Now, now, AOG, let’s get it straight. Although air travel is extremely safe (so much so that it is far more dangerous driving to the airport than flying) when things do go wrong aircrew need to be highly skilled to avoid disaster. Here’s a couple of examples:
http://uk.ask.com/wik...tish_Airways_Flight_9
http://uk.ask.com/wiki/US_Airways_Flight_1549
There are many more. Also, see how much skill is needed to land a 747 in high crosswinds and driving rain. Contrary to popular belief they do not land themselves.
At best bus drivers are “semi-skilled”. That is, it is a job most people could do with a small amount of training. Tube and train drivers require slightly more training, but again it is a job most of us could do. Most people could not pilot an airliner, even with considerable training.
However, back to the point. There is no earthly reason why anybody should receive a bonus for working normally during the Olympics and, as usual, transport employees are blackmailing their employers.