Company morale is at a low point. Expats have no sick leave; your pay is docked, so usually you fly sick if you can get on the airplane. The Korean pilots here have a different system, but they loss money too, so they fly sick. One expat got food poisoning in BKK and hospitalized. The company called him at the hospital, asked him to leave and fly the airplane back to Seoul as he was still doubled up in pain, dehydrated and still having vomiting spasms. He told them politely to stick that unsafe idea where the sun doesn’t shine and was docked not for the missed flight segment, but for all the days until his next flight. He was not singled out, they do that docking to every pilot who sicks out. At Asiana the entire cabin staff of a flight are ALL punish if one of their team members calls in sick, even before the flight. Therefore, unless in a hospital or dead they come to work so not to have their colleagues punished. They get demerit points that affect their career progression. In Korean culture it seems that many do not to cover ones month when they sneeze. Watch out on the public transportation or in close quarters. It’s usually a left to right big broadcast sneeze or cough.
Asiana is making money with most of their flights full, but the parent company, Kumho has had a couple other divisions losing millions. So every member company of Kumho takes a hit for the bad decisions of some other member company executives. Almost everyone one at Asiana has been forced to take a month leave without pay. The cabin staff have been over 300 short each month and working their tails off. They very tired, some sick, fatigued and it is beginning to show in their previous award winning cabin service. The expats have been offered (strongly encouraged) to participate in this leave program. On fleets with a few surplus pilots, they call you and ask when are you going to participate in this voluntary program.
Like EVYJET said, “Unless you're currently unemployed.....don’t come here!!”
More later about the culture.
Last edited by I am here; 15th Feb 2010 at 03:17.
Reason: miss spelled word