@fliion - my apologies if my comment was interpreted as me saying that you wanted something like this to happen and I'd like to clarify. Over the years I've read hundreds if not thousands of posts regarding this topic, I'm not oblivious to the issues of fatigue nor in denial that they exist. I get up for my 9-5 Mon - Fri. job, I tend to sleep late, rely on 5-6 hours of sleep and get through the day just fine. There are days when I find myself slightly more exhausted than before...but this is a professional job in an office...it's nowhere near the same as being a pilot and I can only imagine how much more difficult it is when you're trying to land a jetliner with 300 people in the back, in the middle of the night, during monsoon season in a third world country...and then have to fly back and arrive home at 6-7 AM. As I have been a passenger on one of those flights to that part of the world...I can only say thank you to the professional ad skillful pilots that have gotten me to my destination and back in conditions which I would not want to be working in.
My main concern is just how the repeated mentioning of a likely incident happening being interpreted...I've flown well over a million miles in my life, and flying to me has always been an adventure, and I hardly ever worry with turbulence or rough weather conditions because at some point you just get used to it and know you're in good hands with the most qualified individuals up front handling everything. The very first time I knew about any fatigue related issues was the Melbourne incident, I started to pay more attention to this forum and the comments being made. With what seems to have been a lucky escape for EK, and thinking "Well thank God, if it wasn't for those pilots this could have been a very tragic situation."...I was actually very confident of my next EK flight. But then you start seeing all the complaints, and while it's easier to complain than give praise...it got me thinking just a little bit. When the complaints started to turn into predictions of a smoking hole and that being the only way to get mgmt to change...it can be a bit unnerving. You get on a plane for a late night flight, but you never know how rested the men up front are...or what the conditions are going to be which are going to depend on the alertness and experience of those that are responsible for your safe arrival...as I said I've been reading these comments for some time. In a way I think it's good to read this because it sheds more light on reality...but the drawback is that it creates negative thinking, not just from a passenger standpoint but I'm sure from pilots to cabin crew, to anyone that is a a part of this. I think the negative reality of it, and living in times when a/c go missing in the middle of the night, fly into massive thunderstorms and then fall out of the sky, it's a bit scary to put it straight. Sometimes the comments I have read over the last few years...it gives the perception (that would be the right word) that the conditions are just so bad that maybe these guys are just waiting for an incident to happen in order for maybe, just maybe some change from mgmt.
When I say I'm a fan of the product, it's the complete product from a passenger standpoint. The a/c's, the seats, the food, the entertainment, the service, the employee at the check-in counter that likely does not get paid very well, to the wonderful cabin crew that always seem to show a professional attitude and willingness to deal with even the most difficult of passengers, to the men and women in charge of flying the aircraft up front...to the commercials on TV, and the branding of the company...I am a fan of it. Now, the one thing I'm happy to admit that while being a fan and a loyal traveler...there are some things which are easy to forget or ignore, such as the working conditions and how hard the employees are really being worked. I suppose there must be less than 10% of overall passengers who might be aware, or even care...after all they pay for a ticket, expect a level of service, want this and that, and get to their destination and collect their miles. Safety tends to be something which is not thought about as much as it should...and at least not with a passenger. But with the people responsible for making sure you get from point A to point B...it's likely one of the very first things you think about, and are always thinking about. Because when I turn on my ICE unit and sip on my champagne, I'm probably scrolling through the channels wondering what tv show/movie should I watch next? I suppose these "products" mask reality and are fairly effective in masking reality as well. My apologies if my words were misinterpreted for me saying that there are a lot of EK folk that want something bad to happen...that wasn't my intention, I was trying to say that after following this forum for years, and reading thousands of comments...and there are positive comments sure, but the negative ones drown those out and whenever the word incident/accident gets mentioned (and it gets mentioned here and there) and that it might be the only way that mgmt changes...yeah it's bit scary.
Thank you for taking the time to address some of my concerns with the previous replies, I personally believe that EK hires some of the best pilots in the world and I would only hope that in the near future conditions for all employees improve to where you read about more positive comments etc. I'm hopeful of it anyways, but I guess it's much easier saying that and thinking that as one of the passengers that sits in the back...perception vs. reality is always different.