Avius:
>>As a 744 driver (not for SIA) I ask myself, what is wrong using the bunks, why additional TWO seats in the cabin ?? Maybe one should be enough.
Perhaps the Straits Times article does not state clearly the cabin seating arrangements. Let me present it more clearly.
The existing (since day one when more than one set of crew was needed) deal is:
a. with a regular set of crew (one captain, one first officer) - no cabin seats needed
b. with a 3-pilot crew (defined as one captain and 2 F/Os) - no cabin seats needed
c. with an augmented crew (defined as 2 captains and 1 F/O) - 1 cabin seat needed
d. with a double crew (defined as 2 captains and 2 F/Os) - 2 cabin seats needed.
The reasoning for not having a cabin seat for a 3-pilot crew situation was never made known to us in general. It implies that captains deserve a cabin seat while F/Os do not. You may read this as pure and simple contempt towards the contribution of the F/O and his physiological needs (which ought to be no diffrent from that of the captain).
Now I hope that you can see that we do not always need 2 seats in the cabin.
Not stated in the Straits Times report are other instructions to us:
We may not sit in any vacant first class or business class or economy seat when the seat next to it is occupied, unless that seat is already blocked off as a crew rest seat. So, while management may claim that we can choose other vacant seats in business or first class, if someone is seated next to this vacant seat, then we may not sit there.
>>However, I've personally hardly used a seat in the rear cabin, except for meals for a few minutes. Timing of meals can be arranged easily with the other crew-members, so that other seat could be used to generate probably decent revenue.
That is your choice. We are also entitled to ours, to use the 2 seats as and when we like. But if management tries to weasel out of a deal, then we don't even have that choice.
Having 2 business class seats next to each other for our use when we have a double crew is the least they can do for us. We usually eat, in the cabin, when the rest of the passengers are eating, to minimise inconvenience to the cabin crew and also because the meals are usually served at logical times. Only one observer seat in the cockpit has a table, if you eat in the other observer seat then the meal tray is on your lap. Not exactly the most comfortable way to eat. So, it is more practical to eat in the cabin, together with a meal partner and try to enjoy your rest period rather than eat alone if there were only 1 seat as you suggest.
Other times we may need the cabin seat to read, to watch a movie, to listen to music, whatever (the timing of the rest period is not always convenient for immediate horizontal rest). It cannot be an all or nothing rest arrangement (ie if you don't want to use the bunk that we have so graciously provided then you do not deserve to rest) as management seems to think. There is nothing wrong in using the bunk, as you ask yourself. But can you say that every time it has your turn to rest, that you were always ready to sleep at once? Have there not been times when you preferred to do something else (like read, eat, stare out the windows)? The reality is that we are not robots or zoo animals running according to a schedule determined by management. However, they think so.
>>I would NOT however, go to the economy class........for many reasons.....one of them being that I'm not interested to explain the once-a-year-flying-on-holliday-public, how the airplane is able to fly by itself, while I'm eating.......
Thank you for sharing our stand on this point.
Happy landings.....