EK deletes total duty from rosters

[Kamelchaser]

Anybody noticed that EK have quietly removed the total duty time from your roster?

Obviously a lot of disquiet occuring due to the total lack of balance of duty time across fleets. As each duty realistically adds 2hrs 15mins to the block time, those on the airbus (non-380) fleet with a large number of turnarounds are doing significantly more duty time per month than those on the 777.

Likewise with trainers doing a lot of turn-arounds.

So the simple solution for flight ops....get rid of the duty time on the roster so you don't notice how high your monthly duty hours are.

A bit like what happened a few years back when they got rid of the duty time of the voyage report; no doubt many, many Captain's discretion reports have not been filed because you no longer have to record your duty time.

All smoke and mirrors to try to hide the problems.

[fatbus]

What difference does it make? My best roster to date was 20 day turns to DOH/BAH/MCT all weekends off dinner home every night and every kids event for the month. I think the duty hours hour were 3 times the block . We dont get paid for duty so who cares.

[Kamelchaser]

Actually it makes quite a difference to many people Fatbus. I'm pleased that you're happy with 20 DOH flights, as they say one man's treasure is another man's trash. Everybody has a different opinion on what is a great roster.

One of the reasons the training department struggles to get the appropriate people is the ludicrously long duty months; some trainers have done up to 170 duty hours, while still being paid for considerably less "block hours"

A couple of examples of the disparity; (and this is only flying pay and allowance pay...assuming that each pilot has the same base salary)

1. Your roster....20 x DOH. 40 block hours. 85 duty hours. Flight pay 28AED per DUTY hour.

2. Actual 777 Capt roster (certainly an extreme). 3xULR, 1 x EUR, 96.9 block, 117 duty, flight pay 113AED per DUTY hr. (includes overtime)

3. Actual 777 LTC roster 2 x layover, 10 x T/A, 73.6 block, 108.6 duty, flight pay (including appointment allowance) 86AED per DUTY hr

Comparing 2 & 3, the 777 line capt has 15days off versus 10 days off for the LTC, works 7% more duty hours but receives 31% more pay per duty hour than the training Capt!!! (and 406% more pay than your 20 DOHs, despite only working 37% longer and having almost twice as many days off)

So, if you can follow the maths, the system as it stands is incredibly unbalanced.

Remember fairly recently when FLT OPS justified the increase in productivity threshold by saying that the old system didn't account for the amount of ULR flying that we're doing now? Well now we have a system that doesn't take into account the huge disparities between fleets, and even appointments within fleets.

The current system is flawed, and needs to be changed.

[emratty]

I am quite happy with my rosters for the last few months on the Airbus. I get 4 good layovers a month on average with a few turns and seem to fly 75-80 hours BLOCK. The last 8 years I have been flying ULR so I am quite happy to have a year or two off from it and pass the baton to the 777.One fleet always seems to have the rough flying a few years ago it was the boeing and now it is meant to be the bus although I don't mind it at all. If you are so worried about duty time spend 10 minutes working it out for yourself.
The trainers get paid training pay for the extra work they have to do so it is only right that they get more duty hours.

[Kamelchaser]

"The trainers get paid training pay for the extra work they have to do so it is only right that they get more duty hours."


Gosh, and here's me thinking that Captains get paid more than FO's because they have added responsiblity and accountability, and Trainers get paid more than Line Captains for the very same reason.

But maybe I'm wrong?...maybe Captains have to work longer hours than FOs to justify their higher salaries? :ugh::ugh::ugh::ugh::ugh:

[pool]

Trainers just have an additional task, that's teaching the sops. And they can mark you. That's it.

No additional responsibility.