It's been a while since I was on here last, so a few things to comment on.
#1
'Tiredunfedup' on page 18 has it nearly right;
"The benefits of working as an Expat in Brunei are not worth it any more."
Tiredunfedup, while what you say is perfectly true, it is not just true for expats. Locals are also suffering the pain. Remember they have had no bonus for several years and have recently lost their transport allowance.
When it comes to being undervalued, underpaid and demoralised, all the pilots are suffering the pain.
#2
'Dalai lama 767' likes to give the impression he is the Ho Chi Minh lookalike in the Boeing Fleet Office. He isn't.
#3
A few weeks ago now, our beloved CEO was reported in Flight International as looking for more narrowbody aircraft. Perhaps Boeings, perhaps Airbus, maybe with IAE engines, perhaps with CFM engines, perhaps, perhaps perhaps.
He put his head in the Flight Deck a few days later and I showed him the article, then asked him about any possible replacement for the B 767s. "Well it looks to me like the A 350 is the way to go." was his reply. Forever putting my foot in it, I said "But they aren't due off the production line until 2012, are you really intending to keep the B 767s going for another 7 years?"
Nothing more was said, he just stood up and left the flight deck.
A final comment on that. I later checked the Airbus website, the A 350 is due in production in 2010.
#4
Recently I had a chat with our earstwhile DFO. He was honest, which is a good thing, although what he said was really depressing. Quite simply, until there are not enough pilots to crew the schedules, terms and conditions will not improve. On a less depressing note, he also said that our flying allowances are NOT being cut.
#5
A chat with someone else in an office two doors up the corridor a few days later informed me that the company is still losing heaps of money. True or not I don't know because we have never been privvy to the company's balance sheets. But two things occur to me. (1) If this is indeed true and we are still losing heaps, surely this indicates that whatever plan the management are following isn't working. We are taught in the simulator to evaluate decisions, recognise when they aren't working, admit it, and develop alternatives. Why doesn't this apply to airline management?
(2) It was pointed out to me by a pilot who had a career as a 'money man' before becoming a pilot, that there are two sides to turning a profit; one is to cut costs (we've done that), the other is to increase income by developing a better product / different product / new routes etc. etc. Better product is the cabin refit I guess, new route is Sydney. Good start, but there is still a long way to go.
#6
When our former DFO decided to recruit Rishworth pilots back in about 1998, it was to protect the incumbent pilots and fulfill a short term need. The idea was good, but unfortunately it has backfired. With no disrespect intended to the Rishworth pilots as individuals, the fact remains that they are generally joining RBA as light twin turboprop drivers who have bought a Boeing rating. As such they are zero jet time pilots. All us have been there and there is nothing wrong with that. The apparent problem is that RBA used to recruit pilots who had significant jet time already. Typically a new RBA recruit was an ex Britannia pilot with maybe 1000+ hours on B 767. When you compare that pilot with a 'new to jets' pilot, there is a significant difference in experience. New pilots are always keen and eager to do whatever they have to do to get into a jet, including accepting poor terms and conditions. Experienced pilots are more aware of their worth and know how to vote with their feet, which they have done. This has left RBA, especially in the Boeing fleet with a substantial number of low jet time pilots - the experience is no longer there.
This situation is self perpetuating because the zero jet pilots get some experience in RBA, learn their worth, and move on. So RBA recruits more Zero Jet Time pilots because they won't pay experienced pilots what they are worth.
I really like Brunei. I really like the guys I fly with, both local and expat. I really like the ground staff I work with (including the rostering staff) and I like the fact that when things go wrong I can usually find out who is causing the problem and sort it out amicably with them one on one without the usual 'big company' hassle (he's in a meeting / he's in the other office / I'm his secretary can I help).
BUT
and it is a really big BUT
like 'Tierdunfedup said at the begining of this.
The benefits of working as an Expat (and Local) in Brunei are not worth it any more...
Cheers
