4 PW's: thank you.
To all the rest of the SQC guys, if i may be so bold as to opine. The history of SQC is familiar to all, no doubt. Just to point out the salient facts - SIA has been flying cargo only airplanes for a very long time. I recall flying 747 Classic freighters in the eighties. Of course the 744F also came onto the scene later on, during which time ALL of SIA's cargo flights were also flown by us "mainline" guys (that includes winter heavyweights in to ANC, DUB, Canarsie & Kai Tak with a roaring typhoon not too far away, surprising it may seem to some). The idea of Sing Cargo being hived off as a somewhat independant outfit only came along very much later - if memory serves me correctly, sometime around 2000? What do you suppose management's intent was? There will no doubt be many differing opinions on this, but I submit that there is one reason which few will disagree with: cost cutting. SIA management's perenial, incessant & ruthless efforts at this are well known and documented. SIA felt - then & now - that they can get cheaper (for want of a better word) pilots than mainline guys by hiring outside of SIA proper; hence avoid the union rules & profit sharing agreements. That's where you guys came in. It sounds totally distasteful to use words like "cheaper" or "2nd Class" - it is certainly not my intent to stigmatise in this way - but in essence that's exactly how SIA management wants it. Unfortunately you guys are on the wrong side of the battle lines. I would add that your Chief Pilot will never admit this openly to you; but you really don't have to be a rocket scientist to deduce the real reasons.
At the same time, i cannot help but feel a little cynical about it as well. A lot has been said on PPRUNE over the years about SIA's attitude & conduct - i have no doubts that anyone joining either SIA or SQC would have read the many threads about it and made the decision to come with their eyes wide 'open'. Hence, bitching and moaning about it now, after the event, is a little like deliberately flying into the CB and then cursing the engine flameout from water ingestion that followed. You guys have my sympathies, but like i have said, the lines had been drawn long before SQC was even started. I hope you realise that.
Best of luck, anyhow.
Last edited by gengis; 9th Feb 2007 at 16:28.