Capt QM # 203 - I am of your vintage and spent all my working life on the engineering "rockpile" and absolutely loved every minute of it in rain, hail or shine. But what is happening now to OUR icon across the board is criminal. Take heart that every engineer out there, no matter what happens, will perform as professionally as would be expected and that they will NEVER lower their standards to that of current management
It troubles me that the fetish for slash and burn tactics, selfish quick KPI driven short term gains and complete loss of 'understanding' will, in the long term need to be reversed. The failure to see that in the 'past' it was always, for nearly all a labour of love and a team effort that built our great airlines. The stuff of legend now; ginger beers at 3 am o'clock struggling to turn a sick airframe around, so it would be ready for the next service; front of house boys and girls soothing passengers during the interminable wait for transport; pilots in the back room, sweating over the fuel and time figures to ensure that the service arrived 'on time'. The entire cast and crew toddling off home with a feeling of well job well done and looking forward to work the next day. The destruction of that team spirit, the willingness to work a bit harder or to do the job better is counter productive and detrimental to the hallowed bottom line. Airlines cannot be run as a toilet roll factory as one wit remarked. Although this will not come back to haunt those who disappear to live in little ivory castles, far removed from the misery of 300 Christmas day parties, where the shadow of uncertainty is an unwelcome guest.
Big Q may well have been a bit of a sheltered workshop at one time, but had the realities of modern business been anticipated as they were forecast and revealed, adopted as they were happening, had been managed correctly, through foresight and acumen; perhaps, just maybe, it would have only been 30 VR rather than 300 gone - to improve the very sick 'bottom line', not to mention obscene bonuses.
It will not ease my mind when a small, previously unremarkable snag appears. Now, must I suspect the integrity of the whole system?; has some lazy, useless, unsupervised bugger clipped a wire with a staple?, what else is compromised ?. Do I land at the nearest suitable and relax; or can I with some surety rely on the integrity of the maintenance. Legally serviceable v operational integrity; "Sorry folks, my obligation ends at the next suitable as I am no longer able to rely on our quality, company controlled maintenance organisation". And anyway, what is wrong with an all expenses paid weekend in Sri Lanka ?, I'd like to know.
This little Sunday rant may seem a bit esoteric, but if the essentials, safety, service, integrity, reliability, team effort; the things that made great airlines are removed, what's left. The bloody bean counters and the dregs of legal services? – not enough to run an air service, not by a bloody long shot. Selah.
Sorry guys, steam off. Back to my knitting. (only slightly embarrassed).....
