Air Mauritius: Make each trip a voyage to discovery
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Air Mauritius: Make each trip a voyage to discovery
Air Mauritius, Thank You! Rodney Philips
01/07/11
Partager et classer cet article I have so much to be grateful for to our national carrier I don’t know where to begin. First of all, thank you for turning my recent flight from London into a wonderfully enlightening social experiment. You allowed me to experience first-hand democratic principles in ways that no Bolshevik revolution could possibly do. By squeezing so many passengers into such a tight seat confi guration, you demonstrated the fundamental value upon which Mauritius as a nation was built – tolerance! By having a newborn cry all night, an old man dribble on my shoulder, and by inhaling flatulence from the charming adolescent to my immediate right, you have proved to me what valuing diversity truly means.
By sandwiching me down the middle aisle, you helped me understand the challenges of disability. Unable to move any body parts from the neck downwards for over eleven hours, I will now be more generous when the tin comes round on Handicap Day.
Malfunctioning ventilation systems was a chance to internalise the concept of global warming. The plight of polar bears stranded on fl oating icebergs pales to insignificance compared to passengers loosening collars, desperately reaching for air vents, gasping for breath, and hoping yellow oxygen masks would fall from the ceiling. But the only things to fall from the ceiling were loose items from over-stuffed luggage bins.
Unlike worldly, superficial airlines like Emirates, you have demonstrated the fact that the physical beauty of cabin crew is irrelevant to a pleasant flight. In fact, you are right to recruit your staff from among those fellow citizens battling with overweight or hair loss or acne, or all three. Well done for applying so rigorously the equal opportunities act! The sense of national pride they showed, despite their personal problems, often manifested itself in rude remarks, road rage with food trolleys, or total absence.
Wouldn’t you be grumpy or violent or asleep if you were on medication for a chronic disorder? I am pleased to note that the airlines’ caterer is now Weigh Less Mauritius. Given the high incidence of non-communicable diseases among the Mauritian population, and high obesity levels among foreign passengers, the policy of serving non-substantive meals, or no food at all, can only be applauded.
Showing social responsibility in forcing a weight management programme on economy passengers is the equivalent of British Airways’ Change for Good. My sincere gratitude springs also from the fact that the entire entertainment system failed to operate.
Those passengers who complained seemed unable to grasp the opportunity offered by the airline to engage in self-refl ection and prayer.
Mind you, there was the distinct mumble of prayer during turbulence over Sudan. But in a world bombarded by flickering images, booming sounds and media hype what could be more comforting than the gentle snoring of a total stranger using your shoulder as a pillow?
But, best of all, thank you Air Mauritius for showering me with the generous sum of Rs 2000 when you lost my luggage. With that kind of money, I was able to rush out and buy myself a top-of-theline toothbrush, designer deodorant, synthetic underwear and recycled flip-flops.
I know my family was disappointed that they received no gifts, but they too learned that denouncing materialism is the greatest gift of all.
01/07/11
Partager et classer cet article I have so much to be grateful for to our national carrier I don’t know where to begin. First of all, thank you for turning my recent flight from London into a wonderfully enlightening social experiment. You allowed me to experience first-hand democratic principles in ways that no Bolshevik revolution could possibly do. By squeezing so many passengers into such a tight seat confi guration, you demonstrated the fundamental value upon which Mauritius as a nation was built – tolerance! By having a newborn cry all night, an old man dribble on my shoulder, and by inhaling flatulence from the charming adolescent to my immediate right, you have proved to me what valuing diversity truly means.
By sandwiching me down the middle aisle, you helped me understand the challenges of disability. Unable to move any body parts from the neck downwards for over eleven hours, I will now be more generous when the tin comes round on Handicap Day.
Malfunctioning ventilation systems was a chance to internalise the concept of global warming. The plight of polar bears stranded on fl oating icebergs pales to insignificance compared to passengers loosening collars, desperately reaching for air vents, gasping for breath, and hoping yellow oxygen masks would fall from the ceiling. But the only things to fall from the ceiling were loose items from over-stuffed luggage bins.
Unlike worldly, superficial airlines like Emirates, you have demonstrated the fact that the physical beauty of cabin crew is irrelevant to a pleasant flight. In fact, you are right to recruit your staff from among those fellow citizens battling with overweight or hair loss or acne, or all three. Well done for applying so rigorously the equal opportunities act! The sense of national pride they showed, despite their personal problems, often manifested itself in rude remarks, road rage with food trolleys, or total absence.
Wouldn’t you be grumpy or violent or asleep if you were on medication for a chronic disorder? I am pleased to note that the airlines’ caterer is now Weigh Less Mauritius. Given the high incidence of non-communicable diseases among the Mauritian population, and high obesity levels among foreign passengers, the policy of serving non-substantive meals, or no food at all, can only be applauded.
Showing social responsibility in forcing a weight management programme on economy passengers is the equivalent of British Airways’ Change for Good. My sincere gratitude springs also from the fact that the entire entertainment system failed to operate.
Those passengers who complained seemed unable to grasp the opportunity offered by the airline to engage in self-refl ection and prayer.
Mind you, there was the distinct mumble of prayer during turbulence over Sudan. But in a world bombarded by flickering images, booming sounds and media hype what could be more comforting than the gentle snoring of a total stranger using your shoulder as a pillow?
But, best of all, thank you Air Mauritius for showering me with the generous sum of Rs 2000 when you lost my luggage. With that kind of money, I was able to rush out and buy myself a top-of-theline toothbrush, designer deodorant, synthetic underwear and recycled flip-flops.
I know my family was disappointed that they received no gifts, but they too learned that denouncing materialism is the greatest gift of all.
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The Great Muppet Show
Keeping up with its world class reputation of treating their staff worse than animals, the mafia reigning in the Flight Operations department is under heat as light is starting to shed on the their practices which are proving calamitous from a strategic, tactical and all the way down to a day-to-day operations level.
The company has had to cancel more than 40 revenue flights during the month of December alone, mainly due to lack of cockpit crew, but also maintenance ! All this juicy business has fallen in the waiting arms of foreign airlines, who know very well how to treat and keep their staff.
The Executive Vice President, Flight Operations and his team are responsible for timely and efficient crewing, which makes them directly accountable for this huge loss of earnings.
It would be no surprise if the management is manipulating our Flight and Duty times to make it appear legal in order to avoid further losses of revenue due to more cancelled flights. But doing so endangers the passengers’ safety and also the whole company and although the latter has an apparent good safety record so far, it would be no surprise if more and more incidents take place eventually leading to a fatal disaster like the one which occurred recently with Air India due to excessive pilot fatigue, causing the loss of 158 lives recently.
Many of us have left for fairer skies and there are many more yet to flee from this stinking atmosphere in this this suffocating company which had been rotten by a cancerous management and constant political interference.
The major problem of this company is that it is too difficult and complicated to clean the place up; as much as it is a politically risky task to undertake, due to the level of corruption at the decision makers level and well possibly their involvement with the purchase of new aircraft in the past.
The steering committee which has been recently set up to identify and address serious operational shortcomings is constituted of the very persons themselves who have caused or allowed this situation to exist under their own management and responsibility. Not any foreign, objective, competent and independent team was called to oversee the assignment and the internal proceedings, like Air Madagascar wisely and successfully did a few years ago. What a fantastic Muppet show we have here!
Therefore it is highly unlikely that a genuine restructuration could ever take place in these circumstances and the situation will continue to worsen until the point where all the operations could simply collapse, leaving stranded thousands of travellers, crippling the desperately needy tourism industry… unless the leaders and politicians understand that a courageous, thorough and genuine cleaning up of that company from top to bottom would be an extraordinary opportunity to break the mismanagement and corruption perception while at the same time greatly enhance their political image in the eyes of the public opinion.
The typical third-world way of bashing employees to cover up the executives’ shortcomings and incompetence is omnipresent in this company which only salute is its monopolistic situation on an otherwise highly competitive market. These management “Flop Guns” have probably never heard of the term “Empowerment”, which according to Wikipedia: “Refers to increasing the spiritual, political, social, or economic strength of individuals and communities. It often involves the empowered developing confidence in their own capacities.”, thus wasting and burning out invaluable human resource, which is one of the most important assets for this company.
Come on people, stop acting as if the national airline is your own private little place which you can manage like a bakery amongst your incompetent and arrogant short sighted minds. Mauritius, its economy and its people need an efficient air carrier which projects an image of high professionalism to the World, not the one of a banned “Banana Republic”-owned airline.
The company has had to cancel more than 40 revenue flights during the month of December alone, mainly due to lack of cockpit crew, but also maintenance ! All this juicy business has fallen in the waiting arms of foreign airlines, who know very well how to treat and keep their staff.
The Executive Vice President, Flight Operations and his team are responsible for timely and efficient crewing, which makes them directly accountable for this huge loss of earnings.
It would be no surprise if the management is manipulating our Flight and Duty times to make it appear legal in order to avoid further losses of revenue due to more cancelled flights. But doing so endangers the passengers’ safety and also the whole company and although the latter has an apparent good safety record so far, it would be no surprise if more and more incidents take place eventually leading to a fatal disaster like the one which occurred recently with Air India due to excessive pilot fatigue, causing the loss of 158 lives recently.
Many of us have left for fairer skies and there are many more yet to flee from this stinking atmosphere in this this suffocating company which had been rotten by a cancerous management and constant political interference.
The major problem of this company is that it is too difficult and complicated to clean the place up; as much as it is a politically risky task to undertake, due to the level of corruption at the decision makers level and well possibly their involvement with the purchase of new aircraft in the past.
The steering committee which has been recently set up to identify and address serious operational shortcomings is constituted of the very persons themselves who have caused or allowed this situation to exist under their own management and responsibility. Not any foreign, objective, competent and independent team was called to oversee the assignment and the internal proceedings, like Air Madagascar wisely and successfully did a few years ago. What a fantastic Muppet show we have here!
Therefore it is highly unlikely that a genuine restructuration could ever take place in these circumstances and the situation will continue to worsen until the point where all the operations could simply collapse, leaving stranded thousands of travellers, crippling the desperately needy tourism industry… unless the leaders and politicians understand that a courageous, thorough and genuine cleaning up of that company from top to bottom would be an extraordinary opportunity to break the mismanagement and corruption perception while at the same time greatly enhance their political image in the eyes of the public opinion.
The typical third-world way of bashing employees to cover up the executives’ shortcomings and incompetence is omnipresent in this company which only salute is its monopolistic situation on an otherwise highly competitive market. These management “Flop Guns” have probably never heard of the term “Empowerment”, which according to Wikipedia: “Refers to increasing the spiritual, political, social, or economic strength of individuals and communities. It often involves the empowered developing confidence in their own capacities.”, thus wasting and burning out invaluable human resource, which is one of the most important assets for this company.
Come on people, stop acting as if the national airline is your own private little place which you can manage like a bakery amongst your incompetent and arrogant short sighted minds. Mauritius, its economy and its people need an efficient air carrier which projects an image of high professionalism to the World, not the one of a banned “Banana Republic”-owned airline.
minds in ops.
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Obviously nothing has changed for the last few years other than a bigger shortage of pilots and a lower rate of tourism through Air Mauritius.
How is the flight looking from Sydney today? The AOG one???
How is the flight looking from Sydney today? The AOG one???
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Air Mauritius - the end of the story
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In one of their desperate moves to fill the crewing holes, the Flight Ops management has sent contract pilots on a full A340 conversion training course in exchange of a 4 months (only) contract, after discovering that a CCQ (of course also fully paid for) is only acceptable for pilots already employed and flown for the Company !! Papers rejected by CAA. Shame. The total cost of this conversion course must have been huge bucks. Drawn of course not from Uncle Banny’s pay, but from the shareholders’ pockets as usual.
Wet leasing an Air Tahiti aircraft during the peak period, costing again huge bucks to the company. Wonder if it was still due to the incompetence, lack of vision and lack of anticipation of the flight Ops management?
At the moment we are being thrown around the places on a day to day basis, without a proper roster and without even knowing with who we are flying next. Well, this is no mater anyway because the so-called roster is being changed daily… in a scheduled airline !! Prestige. It is worth mentioning though, that the Flop Guns (courtesy BugsB) are OF COURSE getting the most favourable rotations and destinations for themselves and their families.They even had the audacity to cut on our allowances to compensate all this, causing the threat of an even bigger pilot exodus. Like a slap in the face, they were forced to review this and reinstated the allowances with retroactive effect !
Wet leasing an Air Tahiti aircraft during the peak period, costing again huge bucks to the company. Wonder if it was still due to the incompetence, lack of vision and lack of anticipation of the flight Ops management?
At the moment we are being thrown around the places on a day to day basis, without a proper roster and without even knowing with who we are flying next. Well, this is no mater anyway because the so-called roster is being changed daily… in a scheduled airline !! Prestige. It is worth mentioning though, that the Flop Guns (courtesy BugsB) are OF COURSE getting the most favourable rotations and destinations for themselves and their families.They even had the audacity to cut on our allowances to compensate all this, causing the threat of an even bigger pilot exodus. Like a slap in the face, they were forced to review this and reinstated the allowances with retroactive effect !
