Ok let’s dispel some myths about how wonderful the roster system is at EK. Ek uses the same system as some of the major US carriers, but have totally restricted it with EK company limitations.
As an example, the other day an FO told me how he’d chatted with an FO from a major US carrier using the same swap system that EK uses. This guy was rebuilding his roster online, rejecting rostered flights and swapping while in pool bar at hotel.
The EK FO cannot do this, he has to use the EK swap system which is laced with EK company restrictions , max number of days off limitation, max number of days off in row restrictions, cannot swap into overtime, minimum and max monthly limits plus many more! The system has anomalies which will reject swap for no reason even if it’s legal BUT upper management have told rostering department they are NOT allowed to do manual interventions, even if swap is legal. PLUS rostering department can’t or don’t know how to correct the anomalies!
The monthly bid you put in with your requests and preferences is a lottery. Why ? Well on top of the EK restrictions they have set system up for minimum cost, max efficiency and minimum pilot preferences. This means condensed rosters (max efficiency) giving limited flexibility for you to actually swap the flights you were given because in many cases you have just over minimum required time off before next flight. Basically Dubai 24-48 hour layovers between foreign flights! It’s not uncommon to see less than 24 hours in Dubai between flights if it’s more efficient ! And of course the reason you’re swapping flights is in many cases (due minimum pilot preference) the flights you have are not the flights you want!
You will hear many pilots bemoaning the fact they ask for USA flights but are rostered flights to Australia or they bided for flights to Europe and got African or Asian flights!.Some pilots bid for turnarounds so they can be at home, but then they get rostered ULR flights away for days! Meanwhile the guys who want the ULR flights are given turnarounds! And due to EK rules and restrictions and condensed rosters it is almost impossible to swap ULR flights for turnarounds,
So, in essence, you generally don’t get what you bid! Once given the roster with nothing you want on it you then have to spend hours trying to find anyone who wants to swap flights with you and then to find out if EK will allow the swap. Compare this to the pilot from US carrier amending his roster at the pool bar!
so don’t think for one minute that you’re going to get numerous days off between flights, if you do get time off you’re going to spend most of it recuperating from the night flight and jet lag!
EK keep discovering (how cr*p the rostering system is,)