Cabin Crew fatigue
My better half has been EK cabin crew for over 3 years. My comments are both as a concerned partner and passenger.
1. Monthly flying hours are now 100. Used to be 80.
2. Because of extra flying hours crew are flying on minimal rest. Not unusual to return for the overnight each way to/from Asia and then fly again the following day.
3. The flights deck are not in charge of the CC. Sadly. The captain may brief the crew and say they are welcome to rest in the cockpit if tired. But after the flight deck crew leave - the purser will simply say that there are to be no visits to the cockpit for rest. Purser sets tone for the CC. Not the flight deck.
4. The purser/sfs writes the appraisals. These are the people that rule the lives of the CC.
5. Long haul back from PEk for instance. Light load. No curtained rest area. Crew allowed to sit in seats at rear. But they cannot sleep or read and they cannot use headphones. Bizarre. A short sleep must help.
6. No reading in the galleys. No books or newspapers. Pax sleeping. Boredom and fatigue set it.
7. Crew are scared to call in sick. Points system used to record sick days taken.
8. I have seen crew falling asleep during descent strapped into their jump seats. Will they be alert in the event of a problem?
9. The passenger is always right appears to be the purser mantra. Except in extreme cases. I do not see or hear much support for CC who are in many cases dealing with some of the most demanding and unpleasant pax.
And the trouble is that for every CC who leaves because they are burned out - there are another 20 lined up around the world ready to come to Dubai.
Bests.