I don’t think KAL understands how much planning is required to bring crew back as I think this will be the first time in a very long time they will have to recall pilots.
It was easy to kick everyone to the curb but with such a strained training system they are going to hit a major bottleneck. We all know very well how long it takes to train crew in normal times! There is no way they can bring 350+ pilots back in one month and it’s probably just starting to dawn on them.
Think how busy it was up until March. I heard the guys over 60 (Korean and expat) might not get renewed so that will really put a strain even on the June schedule increase let alone looking ahead to the end of the year.
KAL’s 2020 Q1 public financial statement outlook and plan calls to “proactively manage supply in preparation for demand recovery”and “secure long term growth potential.”
Proactive doesn’t mean wait for demand then hope to catch up. They want to be ready to respond to a positive trending market, even a slow recovery.
I would hate to be bowing down to the Chairman or CEO explaining how much I saved booting the expats out but unable to crew aircraft to their plans because I didn’t consider how much planning was required to recall them.
On that topic, no CEO or Chairman negotiates directly with any pilots union for crewing, so get the idea out of your head. We would have been tossed in March with 41 aircraft flying under force majeure. There are now 111 aircraft flying, all public info.
With half the 747 fleet parked, why did KAL keep 22 expat captains in Seoul?
The trend is towards a slow recovery but will take serious forward planning for recalling pilots. I‘m cautiously optimistic just looking at the numbers but who knows for sure.
See everyone in the lobby at 6