The Doha Blues

[TOGA LOCK]

The Doha Blues

I haven't been posting in PPrune for some time. I have seen all the QR posts slipping down the list and I guess that this is simply because no one has anything else to comment about the present situation, so I hope that you will allow a few notes that border the personal and the intimate. It is not my intention to place a stick in this bag of Bull Manure and start stirring, now that things have finally calmed down. I am writing this almost as a posthumous observation, an attempt to rescue a few conclusions in the wake of all the events of the previous months. I must confess that, lately, I have a serious case of the Doha Blues.

I have heard that when convicts go to jail they go through several phases, almost like a grieving person. When they hear the bars of the cage slam behind their backs and they finally realize that freedom is gone, they crawl into a corner of the small cell and start crying. They want to deny to themselves that this loss of freedom has taken place. This doesn't last, as the realities of the prison would not allow them to live in that miserable state for too long. This is when anger takes over. The convicted felon will then be furious at the world or he may become angry with himself for letting this happen. It is obvious that the realities of the prison would not allow this to last for too long either. Essentially, the prisoner might shout, protest, become violent but after some time, as no one hears his pleads, he slowly slips into his new reality. He accepts that he is trapped and walks the line like everyone else, a slave to the system. Jail has managed to make him numb and depressed. He has finally got the Jailhouse Blues.

These last two months I have been observing all our colleagues walking the line. And in this remark I include people that are on either side of the armoured door of the flight deck. I have managed to capture the look on their faces, and I can read both tiredness and resignation. They have come to realize that life will be like this, that reality will not change, that the system is too big and too oppressive to fight against it. Many examples have been made to remind them of that. The warning is clear: "if you try to dream of a better life for you or your peers, you will pay for this with your own". And, as winter sets in, I cannot feel but awe about the timing of this Warning Letter. It is almost as if it had been planned, predetermined in a machiavellian way. But please, don't let me get conspiratorial, I am sure that I am just imagining all this :). Let me just leave you with some words written by the descendants of other slaves. These blues were born while cotton was being softly plucked from endless white fields. In the words of Bessie Smith and Clarence Williams:

The Jailhouse Blues

Lord, this house is goin' to get raided, yes, sir!

Thirty days in jail with my back turned to the wall, turned to the wall,
Thirty days in jail with my back turned to the wall;
Look here, Mr. Jail-keeper, put another gal in my stall.

I don't mind bein' in jail, but I got to stay there so long, so long,
I don't mind bein' in jail, but I got to stay there so long, so long,
When every friend I have is done shook hands and gone.

You better stop your man from tickling me under my chin, under my chin,
You better stop your man from tickling me under my chin,
'Cause if he keeps on tickling, I'm sure gonna take him on in.

Good morning, blues, blues, how do you do? how do you do?
Good morning, blues, blues, how do you do?
Say, I just come here to have a few words with you.

Cheers, and Blue Side Up!!!

[MigratoryBird]

i was reading your article, and i must confess that this is exactly how i feel lately. interesting thing is that you wrote this before the new 3 day off rule... this place is a jail with golden bars. i wonder how will they react if i resign and go some other place...

people leave the company and instead of making it easier and admit that they are the reason for this, management keep making the cell smaller and smaller. i just want to have a life. is that too much to ask?

[Capt Krunch]

TOGA LOCK

No bad, your not to far off the mark.
Many people have said " your not forced to stay here, if you don't like it just leave"
True, but some become finacially trapped of their own doing, some are loyal to the bond :ugh: and some are just doing the time. In the end, life is what you make of it and how you play the cards that you are dealt.


Poisoned by Compromise
Krunch

[Captain Oryx]

I'm not sure which airline TL (trying to get into the alphabet thing) is flying for but it's not the same one where I fly.

KK,

Please allow me to comment.

"...some become finacially trapped of their own doing..."
And this is QR's fault, how?

"...some are loyal to the bond..."
I salute them. They signed a contract and feel honor bound to keep it's terms.

"...and some are just doing the time..."
This is the same everywhere, IMHO.

"In the end, life is what you make of it and how you play the cards that you are dealt."
I couldn't agree more!!:D

[Capt Krunch]

Captain Oryx

Thanks for your comments.. BUT you seemed to have misunderstood my post.
it was with regards to why so many people stay and not resign. They sit right allong side me complaining and complaining and it is not unitl I put a stop to the annoying stories over and over again that I find out they are in Financial debt and cannot leave.. hence the term .. some become finacially trapped of their own doing you see the words of their OWN DOING is key as it has nothing to do with the airline.
Some individuals stay to finnish the terms of their bond. which is admirable I agree, and if thats the case then shut up in the meantime and quit whining and driving people in the flight deck mental, we all work for the same airline.. we know, don't need a repeat story from new guys.:ugh:

as far as just doing the time No, it's not that way in most airlines, as you live a life in the meantime and look forward to the future. Yes you can almost do the same here but it would be of your own doing. meaning the airline would once again have nothing to do with it, and in some cases a hindrance. Doing the Time also refers to the post about Jail House Blues and waiting to be release to freedom. nothing more nothing less.

alles klar ? :)

In the end the relevance of my post is only related to the feeling of Toga Lock and the others who might feel the same. It's not a life here but at the same time its not the end of the world either. Suck it up, do what you can to make the best of it and move on when the time is right for you. This is not a career airline, but it is part of my lifes journey and I intend on making the best out of it.... so far so good :ok:

Poisoned by Compromise
Krunch

[MigratoryBird]

i will say again: can i please have a life? i don't get angry, i am not flaming anyone, i am not insulting management. i am humbly asking for something that i am simply entitled, again: can i have a life, please, mr CEO and CP's? i promise to continue doing my job professionally, sign on and off without making waves, like i have been doing for the last years... honestly!

[ELLONNAGUN]

CAPT KRUNCH

WELL,GOOD ON YOU, AND YOU HAVE YOUR MIND IN RIGHT PLACE. AND IF I MAY ADD ,THIS IS HOW A WISE MAN LOOKS AT LIFE AS OVERALL,I.E FAMILY,CAREER AND FINALLY QATARAIRWAYS.:D:D:D:ok::ok:.

[MigratoryBird]

Capt K:

i am trying to keep a wise attitude as you and my priorities straight in my mind. the problem is that i keep on forgetting. could be because i am tired of flying so much.

i am done trying to change QR. this cannot be done. but i am confronted with a big dilemma. i don't know what to do with life. it has become empty and pointless, i has been almost a year since i saw my friends back home for the last time, i haven't seen my family for christmas and new year because i was rostered to fly... in conclusion, i have no life. and now with this 3 days rule, it will be even more impossible! there is nothing in this place for me apart from work and work...

i feel jailed, like TL said in his eloquent description of the situation. what to do?

[BIGBAD]

I'm about to be made redundant and one of the options I have is coming to QR on the 330 but is life that bad ??

If you don't like it is there a problem walking away and paying the bond ??

I'm rated on the 320, do you know what the bond is for the 330 - is it the full TR or the short course ?? Is the course done in Doha ?? When does the 3 years for the bond start - end of TR or line training ??


cheers

[Tintin]

M B; Please get a break, dont get the company or anything else drag your life down. Take control dude, there is many jobs, life only one.

The choice is simple..:ok::ok::ok:

[Nightfire]

QR in a way reminds me of EVA air, from the brainless job-profile and the circumstances under which you have to work. It's the type of place you go for a wide-body TR with some hours, and run away from it as soon as you can.
Or because you have no other job and need to feed a family.

They know that and you know that - I don't think there is anybody out there who actually likes Doha or loves being with QR. Vice versa the managers hate you and treat you like :mad:, simply because it gives them some pleasure in this otherwise miserable life.

So what is all the complaining about now? Everybody knows what you're in for when you go to a place like that. Don't say you didn't know when you signed the contract. :=

Now bear with it for another year or so, when the industry picks up, then life will get worth living again. Either those suckers improve the standards (unlikely I admit), or you'll at least have a few other options.
But nobody wants to read post after post after post about how miserable your roster and lifestyle is. We all know.

[Linerider]

If you don't like it then you can pay the bond and walk away.

Unless they have changed the policy recently, then the A320/330 CCQ course carries a bond of $15,000 for one year from the date of your final line check. You are only eligible for a CCQ course if you have at least 500hrs on the A320. If you have less than that then you will be put through the full A330 type rating with different bond arrangements.

The A330 training is all done in Doha.

[MigratoryBird]

Tintin and Nightfire:

thanks guys for the pep talk. i guess i needed some perspective. you are right, once the industry picks up many people will leave this place. QR=STEPPING STONE.

i will stop complaining, don't wanna bother you guys anymore. i will do what TL says in his post, i'll just keep on whistling the Jailhouse Blues for some more time :)

if you hear some whistling at tech, learn the tune, so we can jam together :}

[slam dunk 4]

Sorry to be off topic,

but do any of you guys know if QR would accept an application if failed on the first interview?

And if yes, how to process with this new flight deck form on their web page? I mean fill in by hand and send it by mail or fax or scanned email???

thx a lot

[MigratoryBird]

EPR SET:

if you care to read my posts carefully, you will see that i start every phrase with "i feel", "i think", etc. i am not talking in general.

i am not trying to convince anyone of anything, i am simply venting out my frustration. if you don't like my doing so, there is not much i can do about it.

are you so sure that everyone has your same lifestyle? your same experiences in life? your same background/ your same feelings? your same personal issues/problems/NEEDS?

you told me to explain you/everyone, but you answered those questions anyway. isn't it a bit patronizing and aggressive from your side? correct me if i am wrong. ok, my answers to these questions: no, no, no, no. but this is obvious, right? we are all different human beings...

as far as "things do change now and then", yeap, you are right, but lately only for the worse (at least from my perspective, but if from your perspective they change for better, i am really happy for you, honest! at least one of us is happy...)

other people can read what i write and find it useful, and since we are all adult human beings, they CAN decide by themselves too. it is their personal right to do so, as it is mine to write whatever i want.

finally, since this is an open forum, you can skip my posts if they are boring to you. really, i will not hold any grudges against you if you do that ;)

to Tintin and Nightfire:

thanks for the positive attitude. it really helped me!

[Tintin]

I think the problem with those forum is that people say things or insult somebody ( I do not aim at anybody here) that they will never do if they deal with a real person face to face or by email. Because we are anonymous it doesnt give us the right to be rude, impolite or bash someone without knowing what's going on !!!!

Keep it cool and read before answering we have to think that many nationality and language are on that forum and they will express in different ways. I agree that there is way to many negativity on most of the post but the bedoin bird's one was not, read carefully he's crying for help...

And before it start, yes I agree, I should learn to spell and/or write...

[larssnowpharter]

I don't think there is anybody out there who actually likes Doha

Well, I for one actually quite like Doha. Been here 10 yrs.

But then I don't work for QR!:}

[violet08]

TOGA LOCK,
The weather is beautiful in Doha, get some fresh (dusty) air. Try to stay positive, find a hobby...
Take one of your 3 days off, get out, go to the corniche, sit on the sea wall. Yes, there may be far better places to work, but lets face it, at least we have jobs. Times are tough. I know a lot of people struggling to pay their bills, feed their kids. I know it may be tough sometimes, but when the world economy improves we will have more choices and new opportunities.
This time of year, there are a lot of activities in Doha. The Tour of Qatar cycling is going on all this week. Tennis, golf... Google the city, see what's going on. Don't stew in negativity; you will only make yourself miserable. Make plans for a relaxing vacation in the Maldives.
If all else fails, talk to a friend and get out of the compound. Good luck.:)

[Wango Z Tango]

Guess what.. Due to recent cut backs in the airline, the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off until fur ther notice.:E

wZt

[Homo Ludens]

So that was not the incoming train? What a relief!