"Hey Buddy, had a fascinating chat with our very senior local Purser last night. He and a few locals were invited for 4 hrs to speak with Mueller 2 days ago. I will try to pass on the main points.
He was very impressed with CM. very pleasant and very chilled guy in a pair of jeans and shirt for the meeting.
He has been working here for 6 months literally full time.
HE IS WORKING FOR SHEIKH MOHAMMED.
The Sheikh wants EK back to how it was 20 years ago, a company people want to work for so they will tell their friends and people will want to come and work here. This is more important than the money (so he said)
He is experiencing a lot of resistance within (obviously) to change. He would rather convince people to change but if they don't he will enforce it.
He is producing a master plan/project to change the company he needs to present it to TC when ready but doesn't need approval from him as he can go directly to Sheikh Mo.
He has barely even got an office by the lift in HQ on the 4th floor, nobody really wants him there because he is a threat to everyone's job in HQ but he will soon have the fourth floor entirely. Apparently his office is very open to visitors, very visible to see what he is doing! It's all presented on the wall apparently.
He is working on a massive project which is to fix EK. He thinks it's a great company but entirely mis-managed/dos-organised/non-productive. He has seen virtually everything within the company. Sat discretely within virtually every department from cabin crew service area, to DNATA, to Rostering to scheduling etc. He has witnessed employees going to the service centre and receiving no help. He has witnessed people having to go through countless people to achieve the simplest things!
His opinion is that virtually every way the company is run is absolutely bonkers and crazy. He said we have far to many people who do nothing and not enough people that matter ( front line staff/us) pilots and cabin crew included in this. He has confirmed the hrs we work are crazy! Rostering does not work at all. It's a crazy system and must change. Virtually all of the departments do not work and it all has to change.
He said EK (departments are enormous for no reason at all) it's huge and he will make it all small. To many middle and high level managers.
He agreed Accomodation is ridiculous, how can it be reviewed only every 2 years, when it depends on how the actual cost of living is changing. There is no reason to freeze people's Accomodation moving right. Why?
Many many more things. It was a really open meeting, nothing he is doing is secret. I am sure we will receive a communication from him soon to invite contact.
He clearly sees the problems and is planning the required changes however significant they are. He appears to have the ultimate authority to act on behalf of the Sheikh's wishes , HH knows EK is in big trouble and needs to change. I think AAR's days are numbered because he will not be able to change.
He knows they must stop people leaving. Hopefully he can do it in time.
Don't shoot the messenger. Just passing on from what the purser said, who was face to face with Mueller 2 days ago. The skipper and I were laughing our socks off. I don't know how long it will take but it seems massive changes are coming for the better as the driving force from HH is for employees to be happy working for EK again.
Time will tell. If you stick around.
No idea how will effect us, package, upgrade. Just that CM will want to retain people that make the airline run and get rid of the dead weight. CM even commented that 8 TRE'a have just left! Why he said. They should have the best job in the company!!"