Slipped in Darwin the other day. The lovely lady picking us up had been berated - abused - by "security" goons for waiting too close to the terminal to pick us up.. "But I'm here to pick up crew", she said. "Don't care, get lost" said they.... But I digress....
After a night in the pub it was back to the security debacle 15 hrs later. To flight planning which is spitting distance from the jet via a door. After ordering MOR to help out Geoff's bonus we're off to the jet: "Can we walk out there?" says I, pointing at door. "Good God no, you filthy, untrustworthy Captain, you have to go back into the terminal and get your gear off at security" says ground staff. Hmmm, thinks I - "you blokes walk out there don't you, through that door?" "Yep", says they, "but there's a security bloke on that door to check us, to run the wand over us". Oh, thinks I, "well that's effective, anyway, where is he just now?" whilst gesturing at an empty chair with aforesaid wand sitting alongside it. Riiiiiight........
But it gets better in DRW. The entire catering operation drives to and from airside completlely unscreened. Everybody knows it, nobody cares. Just as long as the Captain has had his nasal hair clippers removed then the top-end is safe from Osama.
WHY DO WE CONTINUE TO PUT UP WITH THIS !!!!E? Boy do I emphathise with crew such as those long-crew guys in Manila the other day who end up saying "ENOUGH!"
Bugger all has been done becasue frankly our pilots' association has bigger (?) issues such as the future of our jobs to address, and our bosses couldn't give two tosses about our daily working issues - they are more interested in protecting bonuses by achieving KPIs, which include such important things as painting pedestrian crossings around Arthur Baird JB and the rest of QF Mascot.
Cynical, who, me?