AF pilot unions had for a long time been a very powerful force within this company. Consequently, the management (either in the past public time or in the current private one) has never dared to clash with the pilots even when they were as black as coal. At the time of the privatization, management even played pilots again other categories of staff ...
That's about the only intelligent statement made on this thread so far. In fact it's far worse than that. Management is scared dung of the unions.
Air France absorbed 2 other airlines with EXTREMELY different cultures in the span of 4 years, added to that a double digit growth leaving the compagny desperate for pilots. I can't say it had much of a choice as to the quality of the individuals involved and yes, we are now saddled with some people who would be much better off doing something else. Word from the top was " Get drivers for these newly acquired aircrafts parked outside and do not trouble me with your problems, I want those market shares". Fast growth also means..........fast promotions, so not much criticism from the ranks. I know I didn't complain.
Offenders are left untouched for fear of union retaliation. Given the multiple pilots union structure, there is a huge competition to keep / get members. This leads to pilots cherry picking according to their very individual needs. If this means defending the undefendable.............so be it.
Whatever you do, you'll always find a buckaroo willing to take up your case.
A culture which, even unwillingly, produces a feeling of unresponsability / unaccountability among few, leads to bad things happening.
There are also a wide majority who dispear at this state of affair. But as long as the airline top management won't have the balls to face the unions head on on non negociable issues , nothing will change.
I have also read a lot of bull from self appointed " French culture specialists " enough to make my ancestors turn in their grave. To live 7 years in France to come up with THAT is a bloody waste of the time you spent with us.
Air France cockpits are not made of God and his little maids and absolutly NONE of us speaks Korean, although it does sound like it ( sometimes )when we speak english.
To question the wisdom of your captain is not only accepted but encouraged. As long as you don't call him a tart.........you're fine. Captains have been put into early retirement after reports of conduct unbecoming from F/O's. So all in all, nothing very different from what I have seen elsewhere.
Pilots come from all walks of life, Air Force, Navy, cadets, regional carriers, ex doctors, bankers, even from other countries like japan, Sweden, Belgium, Italy, UK, Germany.
Yes, french is the official language spoken here and as much as it seems to upset a few , it's the way it will always be. Live with it !
However, I do admit that in a culture that promotes individualism as the french do, it is very easy to end up with everyone having a very personal pig headed opinion just about everything.
You know the story : take a boat and 20 Brits you end up with a boat and a crew.
Take a boat and 20 frenchmen, you end up with a boat.....................and 20 frenchmen.
Now, what led a 744 Captain to take off from Jo'burg without a radar some 10 years ago ????
Simple, just a simple stupid decision taken by an idividual idiot, by no means compagny culture or policy. More important, the FO's went along with it. I talked to one of them then and he was honestly fine with that. Another idiot. Not the least pressure from the compagny. From the, then station manager ???? HOODLE, but then, she was the first to get the chop. Again it was a very individual decision which appalled all of us. I was FO then and I know that I would never have gone along with such a lunacy. The MEL at the time didn't forbid to fly at night without a radar leaving it to the Captain's judgement. That's how he got away with it, by the " letter of the law " Not a very honourable way to save your toush. The question that arises and has been an ongoing debate " Do we have to write absolutly everything or do we hope Skippers will exercise a sound judgement ?? " It's been changed since then and I can tell you one thing, according to the actual MEL, AF 447 would never have been able / allowed to leave Rio with the radar on dispatch.
One can of course challenge that, being french, lazy, undsiciplined and chronical liers, zzeeeey sho'd blattant geallic contempt forrrrrrrrrr zuch a ztupid ruuuuuule. In which case, one would be advised to take some very much needed R&R's.
In this business, there is always a certain element of perceived pressure, more than often the pressure we pilots, put on ourselves. Who likes having to cancel a flight because his guts tell him this is the best decision ?? I know I don't but I don't think twice when it comes to deciding something unpleasant that ensures a safe outcome.
Not everybody reacts the same under pressure and to turn this into a Compagny or even national culture issue is enough to make a wooden horse buck.
Taking Asseline out of the closet doesn't bring much to this debate.