So in the last 12months, we have had:
1. Flight duty limits change;
2. Most of the Bus fellas now MFFing on three different aircraft,
3. New bid system; and
4. New way of calculating pay.
Now none of these were for the better. Points 1 thru 3 are saving the company bucket loads of money. They reduce the numbers of pilots required to get the job done. But if you chat to any of the drivers after returning from PVG, MNL or HKG Via Bkk with only two up the front, you will see that legal does not always mean safest.
But as a way of thanking the pilot body for taking all these changes on the chin. Along comes point No.4, a pay cut. Excellent. Luckily no-one else in the EKgroup has also had to have the pay cut enforced. I guess this goes hand in hand with the pilot meeting quote of quotes stating that pilot pay would not be considered in isolation to the rest of the group. But we can all feel warm inside knowing that our pay cut is now funding the record profit for the company. We are all soo proud.
Now, whenever anyone mentions that they are a bit peeved at how the company has done this to the pilot group, we get some response stating that we are malcontents. This seems to come mostly from those who have just finished unpacking after arriving, and are who still trying to prove to themselves, and former work mates family etc, that they did not make a mistake from coming over to the sand. Then again it might just be from drop the pilot who is still a bit upset on how an airline in Canada did not drop everything and offer him a job, because, after all, he does fly seriously large aircraft!
Facts are that being a pilot with EK is just another job. Better than some it would seem, and maybe not quite as good as others, but very hard to decide. I would think that an FO would have to think very hard before coming here now, as a command, although quicker than established flag carriers, will lag behind the airline down the road, where joiners will have a seniority number in the low hundreds as opposed to the low to mid thousand here.
Yes workmates are top class, and yes the equipment is all shiney, and yes the route network is good fun. But with conditions being eroded at the present rate, it may soon be well pass its useby date.
Don