For Gods sake guys get real!
I'm completely dumbfounded by the actions that were taken and as much as SMNC screwed up, a certain amount of ownership has to be taken by the Captain. We're not just given that extra fourth bar because we're safe operators. We have it because in theory at least, we have certain leadership and decision making qualities that set us apart from those unable to take on that responsibility. All Captains have authority but shouldn't we also have the leadership skills to complement that? How could anyone NOT think it unreasonable to de-plane the PAX and bags in LHR and ferry the aircraft to LGW. It's called damage limitation and ends up with only half the passengers pissed off. I for one would have strongly recommended that decision and would have needed a very strong argument from Ops to avoid implementing it.
Is the Culture here really so bad that we live in fear of not following SMNC advice, regardless? Having received 3 different FTL's answers through ACARS from them in the past relating to a single question, i'm only too aware of their limitations regarding operational issues and mistakes that they too make. A process that took over 2 hours and was only finally resovled because I was prepared to keep questioning their decision. As Captains, we have to take more ownership in situations like this and anyone who answers with a " why should we expose ouselves, just follow SMNC's advise" should, in my opinion, not be worther of taking a left seat position. Stick with blindly following the rules from the other seat if that's the way you feel. Which brings me onto the last point.
So what if that guy was a DEC. More fool Emirates then for taking these guys on. Perhaps this incident, like many others that have preceeded it involving DEC's, has merely highlighted the fundermental flaw with this policy. As someone mentioned earlier, the very nature of our rapid expansion makes us vunerable to unique issues not faced by the more established carriers. Airlines that have Captains with probably 7 or 8 years minimum F/O experience before upgrading. Time spent learning not only the culture within the Company but watching how the guys in the left seat deal with problems. Problems that aren't always covered in the FOM! Whilst we have most Captains here with only 3-4 years, it's more than enough time to understand the Company culture and 'how things work'. Particularly in this part of the World with the various National cultures we deal with on a day to day basis. How much of this exposure do the DEC's receive by jumping straight into the left seat here? Absolutely none! Not only that, but what examples are they now giving to the guys in the right seat. Feedback from many F/O's on the line is rarely positive when it comes down to the topic of DEC's. What a pitiful situation to be in when First Officers should be learning from the Skippers instead of holding their hands through ETOPS, HF, new destinations and guiding them on Company policies and procedures.
For those of us with any time here, we're more than aware of how things rapidly go downhill the minute operations goes off the rails. Emirates is much like a Ferrari. It's a wonderful sight to behold when it's working but the minute something goes wrong, it f**ks up big time and it costs a shed load a money to put right. You can't run a Ferrari on a shoestring and constant costcutting. It needs constant care and investment and well trained and motivated staff to look after it.
Isn't the saying 'short term pain for long term gain'? The DEC policy is a good example of this. In reverse!
BYMONEK
P.s Fractional, what 'refresher' might that be then?