Clandestino
Things between all types / airlines etc. are different!
ECAM Drills can take 5+ minutes to complete, when heavyweight, because of the long time to Aa, then the long time to accel and clean up, then start climbing again. In fact, they can take 10mins to get to the "clean and climbing stage"... after all, that is why most engines have a max power rating of 5 mins, but 10mins under single engine conditions. There are "drills", the second half of the ECAM drills in Airbus speak, that only take place once clean and climbing. I have done a sim ex, heavy hot and high where we were right on this 10min limit before clean and climbing.
99% of the time, on a single engine loss, yes, you're going back to departure a/f. However, the current CRM luvvies, probably quite correctly, have this "DODAR" prinicple, where once the drills are complete (might be over 10 mins as I have shown above), only now do you ensure the diagnosis is correct (Kegworth lesson), assess the Options, and make the "Decision". This might be 15mins... in extremis. "A" = Assign Tasks, and one of these is to liaise with the Cabin Crew.
Sim Instructors assure me that at this stage most crews tell the Cabin Crew "we will be landing in under 10mins", but in fact, it is over 15, and sometimes 20, before it actually happens.
If the guy survives food poisoning, recovers and finds out that his other CM proceedeed to destination
Please read what I said. This relates to an actual incident from Africa. Quite a few Crew (Cabin Crew included) went down with food poisoning - I do not need to go into details, and in fact I do not know them all. 3 Flight Crew, and it was assessed the Captain was unfit to resume duties. However, this came about towards the end of a 10 hour sector, and my point was although airfield X was theoretically closer, the lack of urgency illness wise (they were not going to die), and the familarity with destination (home base) meant it was safer for all to continue to destination. However, assistance from ATC required for handling etc. so PAN appropriate (IMHO) and used.
NoD