SRENNAPS, I have tried to eat some humble pie on this thread wrt the way pax etc are treated when things don't go to plan, but I have to take exception to your latest page of accusations.
I have never been on a jet where I, or anyone on the crew to the best of my knowledge, has manufactured faults etc to stay another night in the hotel. I don't know how to get this through to people, but delays downroute mess me around too, not just our passengers. Yes, perhaps you have been away for some time and want to get home when the jet breaks, and we have only flown in for the night, but you must remember that during the period you have been away at that location, we have probably spent lots of 'one night aways'. Do you honestly believe I have not seen enough of the hotel in Akrotiri, or Calgary or wherever it may be that we break?
Now to move on to the "headwinds, oh oh" ("Comong back from Goose Bay - OH OH!!! head winds - we have to divert into Brize. Oh no!! crew out of time - no others available. Night stop in Gateway".) two points:
1. Headwinds happen. We do not manufacture them so that we can divert to Brize. Do you not think that if we called a div to Brize because of headwinds which weren't there, we would land with far more gas than we needed? This gets noted by the 'auth' and questions would be asked, as inevitably they are on a diversion to ensure it was correct. If we didn't land with lots of spare gas then the Q would be asked why we didn't take more!
2. If this happened as you said, (although I find it odd that such a "lie" would be based on headwinds, when the predominant winds on that route would be tailwinds, therefore making it a particularly bad "lie"), crew duty happens, and lack of crews happens. It's unfortunate, but it does happen.
Basically, I think you are giving us (AT Crews) too much credit for what we can get away with, and not enough credit for being professional. I take my professionalism very flocking seriously, and I do take exception to your sweeping generalising accusations of fraud and foul play.
As stated in a previous post, I (We) endeavour to keep people informed as to what is happening, however if you happen to be on my jet next time we delay somewhere, hows about coming to talk to me if you want more details, instead of making sweeping accusations. I'd be only too happy to provide you the answers, to the best of my ability. I, after all, don't make sweeping accusations about sooties when one of my engines happens to fail; engine failures happen, and I trust you to do your job.
Ps. Yes, the AT system/fleet is ****, and I'm sorry for that. Who knows it better than those of us that get flocked around by delays nearly every single time I go to work, or try to come home. I struggle to believe people think we manufacture more to suit ourselves. There are more than enough genuine delays and break downs wrecking my personal life without making up new ones.