Guys, the development of EK is as predicted for a Middle East company: The company´s management is converting slowly from expertise towards local wannabe manager´s who prefer to believe in naive visions instead of facts. Expats have been moved in the second row – named manager but degraded a henchman.
Persons like AAR would never become a job higher than a clerk in the real airline business, but in EK quality only matters if you are not a Local, as everywhere in the Middle East as we all know.
None of those guys would have been able to come out of there Bedouin sandals without the skills and help from educated expats.
Unfortunately skillful, educated locals are a minority. The majorities behaves arrogant, lethargic and respect less, they jumped on the bandwagon of EK ´s and Dubai´s previous success respectively. Stupid pride on something they never would have been able to build or create let alone to manage.
EK Management insidious expanded in an unprofitable, bloated bureaucracy – why – additional posts (Presidents, Vice Presidents etc..) had been implemented in front of the real working employee´s, and inevitable they felt being ready to be on the wheel, but only steer, like the play station. If things are going wrong – reset? Unfortunately impossible? Did a mistake? Locals - Never! So – Expats –> Slave move away the reef..
The most important for regimes like this is the propaganda. EK is investing Millions in positive press, advertisement, the show must go on – everything is great, EK is great, everyone wants to work for EK, the whole world loves EK… Hollywood – Bollywood EK.
What is left? An Airline once brilliant, safe and successful took course to the abyss. Only a quick clear out of all this third class pseudo managers would give the chance to stay in the bride light.
The facts:
·EK is only a safe airline on the paper, in reality EK is unsafe: Fatigue, the reported issue No.1, is considered “low risk”. Crew are disturbed in there crew rest time, by telephone calls, or forced to check roster changes at times they should rest. If not done “Absent days, or warning notes” are the consequence. Rosters with 90hrs and constant day-night-day shifting are regular.
·It is UAE law that the employer has to organize transport for the employee. EK takes advantage: Pickup for Pilots 2:15 to 2:30 before departure time (longest drive s about 35 min), but the official Check in time is 60 min prior departure, by that time is the crew already on the flight deck. Again fatigue is not respected.
·Wearing a hat is more important than being properly rested.
·EK does not keep contracts and agreements.
·Leave is not paid; “Online Course” Duty has to be done on OFF days – no pay
·EK treats expats as second class, local employee´s have higher salaries for the same work
·Operability of the Aircraft is often compromised or manipulated, due to not enough engineer´s and time given for maintenance
·Pilots and Cabin Crew are treated like children with low respect and a threatening management style.
·EK has access to all home telephone connections of company provides accommodation, even Capt Mobiles (calls; SMS)
·Company provided accommodation is under surveillance of EK Security, every visitor is reported to EK, camera´s are installed everywhere – it is like living in a prison. Security guards have keys to the apartments. Crew found themselves surprised by those guards in their own privacy.
·EK is not a trustworthy airline – not for the employee´s and not for the customers i.e. how often do we experience faulty equipment presented to the customers, or not enough catering – but the crew has to take the complains and pretend that the fault just had happened
What to do:
Guys we should react as professionals even the company treats us unprofessional. Not below our standards please – we are no retards: Let´s use effective tools:
·International authorities have reporting systems – anonymous as well if you like
·No discretions out of home base
·Think about discretion anyway, bad or unrealistic planning to safe costs of a third pilot are not unforeseen circumstances. You take from that moment all the responsibility and risk – for what?
·Fatigue – go to the clinic, if your condition is not respected properly take a non EK Aviation Examiner and report to ICAO/IATA (Website – mail).
·Record all the Tel call with EK (they do the same).
·Even EK makes regulations as they are needed legal - 22hrs? Is it safe? Fatigue? 4hrs – hot tarmac - via apron switching aircraft, is that safe to start a 14 hrs operation?
·Take a lawyer or minimum a colleague as evidence for any office visit.
·And for all – contact your national press – keep them informed – remember it is about your survival – there is no EK Team – we cannot trust EK anymore!
No more ËK KEEP DISCOVERING
