Any Greeks at EK or QR

[Iron Beagle]

Hello to everyone, first post at pprune.

I am contemplating a move to the middle east and I would like a different perspective on Emirates and Qatar. Often people from different backgrounds can paint a completely different picture of a place, or company for that matter and ,so far, almost every input I read here is valuable.

If there are any Greek pprune EK or QR pilots, please let me know about what you think of the airline, living conditions, or anything you consider useful, from a standpoint of comparison to what flying and living conditions in Greece are (and are becoming).

Thanks in advance

[Crusty Ol Cap'n]

The SOPs are Greek to a lot of us!:cool:

[alloha]

Yeap Greeks do work for EK and QR.3 FO's in EK (2 of them were hired and start training early last February the other guy joined EK in December).The first 2 were FO's ,the last one a newly promoted captain (a year or so i think).iN QR one FO who got hired in September as FO 320 and 4 captains in the 330.The captains were forced to retired from OA 2 1/2 years ago and they had plenty of experience in the A340.I know persnonally all of the FO's and most of the captains and i have no doubt about the reason they got hired.They all are exceptional proos.:ok: How about the working conditions?Apart from housing in Doha ,there is no good reason to complain.

[salamalikum2]

Apart from the housing......and the rooster as well in Qr to complete your answer...
I agree most of them are very good and nice pilot!:ok:

[captainjohndo]

There are more than 3 Greeks In EK. There are 8 Captains on the Airbus Fleet and 8 FOs, one doing his upgrade at the moment. On the Boeing Fleet we have 2 Captains (one recently promoted) and about 5 FOs. There have been Greeks at EK for the last 13 years, so it has not been discovered by the Olympic Boys. I think the standards have finaly dropped where they will accept Olympic pilots now.....
Keep discovering....:)

[alloha]

There are more than 3 Greeks In EK. There are 8 Captains on the Airbus Fleet and 8 FOs, one doing his upgrade at the moment. On the Boeing Fleet we have 2 Captains (one recently promoted) and about 5 FOs. There have been Greeks at EK for the last 13 years, so it has not been discovered by the Olympic Boys. I think the standards have finaly dropped where they will accept Olympic pilots now.....
Keep discovering....:)
Well i dont know about the other greeks in the EK but for the ex OA pilots maybe u should be less aggressive pal.If i was an airline manager i would be happy working with ex OA pilots:ok: .Did u ever try to operate in the Greek aviation enviromet especialy during winter time?Not to mention the balkan operations etc etc Apart from that OA has a unique record in aviation history.Almost 50 years with jet operation worldwide and zero accidents .If u think yourself such a top notch pilot :E u are very welcome in the jumpseat for a ride in a greek airport.Personally i think that your mouth is just a big s:mad: hole.Cheers looser!!!!

[greek-freak]

Just to be fair, there have been some serious incidents with OA and Aegean airplanes recently, the OA ATR42 at santorini last year, the OA B727 rwy overrun in thessaloniki a couple of years ago, the Aegean damaging an engine during touch-down on an attempted landing at Rhodos last year in march in heavy southern winds .......

And if you look at the OA accident statistics including props the image changes... you should also take into account how large an airline is and how many passenger-miles it flies ...........

In any case I agree that there are some very good pilots flying around who
manage to operate safely in a very difficult environment.

Moreover, it is always the best pilots leaving Greece because they can not stand the working conditions here.

[captainjohndo]

Alloha,

I did not in any part of my post say that Olympic pilots were not good flyers, nor did I say that the Greeks who have been here for 13 years plus are anything else than great aviators or a pleasure to fly and socialize with.
I did say that Olympic Airways pilots could not make the grade when the selection process was challenging and competitive, unlike what it is now. It is a fact that until recently your collegues who have come for an interview have not been able to pass the selection process (I know because I was on the EK recruitment team and you have had a 100% failure rate as an airline).
It is apparent now to all who read your post why; if your attitude, manners, CRM, humilty in your flying skills, people's skills and clarity of thought are an indication of your airline culture and professionalism then one can see why most of you do not fit in with true professionals from the global community who not only are good flyers but also have personality and character qualities much more important than flying skills.....:D
I might not be good enough to fly on your jump-seat, I hope you are educated enough to understand the deeper meening of professionalism and the ingredients needed to be a successfull airline pilot in the global market.
Keep Discovering:ok:

[SecurID]

true professionals from the global community who not only are good flyers but also have personality and character qualities much more important than flying skills.....

that'll be me then! ;)

[european champion]

Captain Johndo i am not surprised about the failure rate that u mentioned.One of the problems that OA is facing is that the majority of pilots who are hired are not judged upon their experience or performance,they are spoilt kids from rich fathers who use politicians who have influence in the airline or from fathers who work for the airlines,its pretty much like a closed family business.Anyone who is Greek and denies that either works for OA or does not see what is happening in the real world.I have to admit that there is also some pilots with exceptional skills,these ones come from the Air Force.

[Jsap]

european champion i guess you intervied all Pilots of OA to put them all in one box amd critisize them. "This is how you win elections , you just show who to blaim"

Thank you very much for your contribution on this post. You are right on. :rolleyes:


Jsap :suspect:
(non OA pilot or affiliated with OA in any way.)

[Iron Beagle]

Hey Fellas,

Let me get back to the original purpose of this thread. Of course let me say that it is, in my opinion, wrong to generalize about a whole airline, being Olympic, BA, United or Nasa. I am sure there are good guys and complete idiots in every outfit. Nevertheless here is a more comprehensive explanation of why I requested information the way I did.
Having flown overseas for a long time, it became clear that different cultures judge a place in total different ways. If it's sunny, the British will love it, but a Floridian may not care that much. If the clubs close at 2 am it's OK for Americans, it's not OK for Italians, etc... (These are just example folks, please don't take offence).

So let me rephrase... You Greeks out there, what do you think about Dubai and Doha. You guys that fly with Greeks to your right or left, what do they look and sound like? Exstatic, happy, bored or F.....k misserable?

Just to give you the perspective I am looking for : Single guy, middle 30s and of course...., you guessed it.... Greek.

Thanks for all the replies so far, and thanks in advance for what's coming up.:ok:

[alloha]

Just to be fair, there have been some serious incidents with OA and Aegean airplanes recently, the OA ATR42 at santorini last year, the OA B727 rwy overrun in thessaloniki a couple of years ago, the Aegean damaging an engine during touch-down on an attempted landing at Rhodos last year in march in heavy southern winds .......
And if you look at the OA accident statistics including props the image changes... you should also take into account how large an airline is and how many passenger-miles it flies ...........
In any case I agree that there are some very good pilots flying around who
manage to operate safely in a very difficult environment.
Moreover, it is always the best pilots leaving Greece because they can not stand the working conditions here.
Just to be fair?well not so fair pal.I am afraid that your memory is weak.Lets have a R/C course.:O Who won the olympic medal on how do u overun the rwy in EDDL? EK 777 last year.10000ft were not enough for them.How about the AF in montreal?OA had landed 15 minutes ago and managed to stop.AF gave one of the best fireworks ever in Canada.oooo another one is coming.1 month ago LH 320 in LYBE failed to stop ,bad luck i guess but what do u expect from a company which has codeshare routes with A3.How about the BA 734 in the late 80s that blast the fence in MAN with many fatalities.Or should i mention the Turkish 340 in JFK 15 days ago.And last but not least the BA cpt of 747 that has an engine failure after Toff from LAX and continue the flight so that he could declare fuel emergency for landing in MAN.Man u are propably someone pathetic looser who failed to fly with OA.Dont try to compare a 7 year amateur(A3) with a 55 year pro.And the only reason that people are leaving OA is because of the dramatic deduction in their salaries and the lack of willing from the state owner of OA to give a plan for the future.

[CptKavla]

Iron Beagle and Alloha check your pms:D

[BaghDaddy.]

so it has not been discovered by the Olympic Boys. I think the standards have finaly dropped where they will accept Olympic pilots now.....Keep discovering...A pretty obvious shot at the Greeks, John. Alloha has a good point, you should wind your neck in.Just to give you the perspective I am looking for : Single guy, middle 30s and of course...., you guessed it.... Greek.
This is not a dating agency...... :}

[greek-freak]

@Alloha

I find it at least interesting that you only picked out the negative things
I wrote about OA, which apparently upset you.

As I pointed out pretty clearly I am not a fan of the A3 security policy either, which in some cases appears to sacrifice security for the sake of an image of punctuality.

Nonetheless, please read my arguments more carefully
(the size of an airline plays a role in incident rates) before you start insulting me on a personal level.

And to conclude, your extremely aggresive attitude (insults instead of arguments) unfortunately exactly confirms what foreign airlines probably think about some OA pilots and what has been stated previously in this thread.

[acrobat]

Dear collegues, whatever company you come from or whatever company you work for, we as greeks should stick together and not insult ourselves like that. I find it very hard to believe that none of you have ever had a pinch in the heart each time you would see OA anywhere in the world....just because it would represent Greece.There are certainely some issues stated above that are more than correct regarding OA, but I do not think that pprune is the place to put the company on trial.

[Iron Beagle]

Acrobat is right on target and I could not agree more.

Nevertheless, from the beginning of recorded history which in the case of Greece goes a LONG way back, our national sport is plucking each other's eyes out. A3, OA and whatever outfit comes along, we are all pilots! OA calling A3 newbies and A3 calling OA spoiled is not the way to protect our COMMON interests. Please don't start on what management does to one another, aviators used to stick together since we are the ONLY ones that know the job that needs to be done!

Yes there have been cases where crews have met at the airport and don't give the standard "kalimera" from what I hear. Let me say that a pilot that refuses to respond to a fellow pilot's greeting is the only one that can be negatively characterized. In fact, I call him an "aircraft driver", he is not an aviator, nor a gentleman for that matter.

The only comfort I have with our "unique" hellenic race, is the fact that Greeks tend to perform marvels overseas. Maybe because out there their fellow countrymen are too far away to put down anyone who pushes towards excellence and true professionalism. Back home it is always "Who does he think he is?" or "I have been doing this for years, what does he have to say?" Sounds familiar?

Also, most of the time, Greeks abroad tend to stick together, provided there are not that many of them to form a "small Greece" away from Greece, when groups are formed and the good old eye plucking begins again. So, I trully hope that in EK,QR,BA,EY,NASA there is not the ex OA versus ex A3 groups that are bashing eachother. After all, my fellow countrymen, think of the image we present to everyone else...

Goodnight and good luck.:(

[acrobat]

To all Greeks,

Do you think that it would be a good idea to starteek forum here in PPRUNE to encompass every greek pilot ,whatever his or her's background and company?
So that there would really be a " greek office of real information regarding employment" arround the world?

By the way I just realised that my greklish had been erased from my initial message:ugh:

[GreekPilot747]

Yes, I am interested.:ok:

[greek-freak]

Sounds good, go ahead with it :ok:

[Iron Beagle]

Excellent idea.

[GreekPilot747]

Is there a circus in Hawaii ???

:mad: happens mate!

[european champion]

Good idea,lets open a forum.

[GrkPilot]

A few of the OA guys went to India, can't remember the airline though ... A340s and 737NG.

[Darkjet]

That would be Jet Airways !!!!

[GrkPilot]

That would be Jet Airways !!!!


How is it over there?? Lifestyle??
I believe 2 Ex-OA Captains are down there.
Captain B. (340) and Captain A.
(sorry don't want to say names without permission, just initials)

[Darkjet]

Well I don't know exactly how many ex OA pilot are in India right now, but most probably more than two. I heard of a few on both the Airbus and 73's .
Base is Mumbai, good company, very good accomodation, good money, roster not so good, and of course Mumbai whaou ! what a chaos !!!!!!
DJ..:ok:

[alloha]

Well I don't know exactly how many ex OA pilot are in India right now, but most probably more than two. I heard of a few on both the Airbus and 73's .
Base is Mumbai, good company, very good accomodation, good money, roster not so good, and of course Mumbai whaou ! what a chaos !!!!!!

DJ..:ok:

4 forced to retirement captains ,all of them as TRE's in the 340.17 on duty captains from the 737 fleet .They were "leased" for 6 months , propably Jet will ask extension for another 6 months.

Great idea thr greek forum.Lets move on:ok:

[GrkPilot]

Nothing better than coffee in Glyfada, but money is money ;)

What greek forum alloha ??? Set it up .. and we will post ..

Regards to all the grk pilots on the forum ..
WE RULE!!! :cool:

[big fraidy cat]

I just read an interesting news article about a possible buyout of Olympic Airlines by the UAE/Emirates. Now here's a buyer with deep pockets! Would be a clever move on their part, as Athens would also give them the possibility of a European hub. Do you think that this is a win/win situation for all?

[assymetric]

Count me in for the Greek forum. Glad to help in anyway I can
:ok: :ok: :ok: :ok: :ok: :ok: :ok: :ok: :ok:

[GrkPilot]

I just read an interesting news article about a possible buyout of Olympic Airlines by the UAE/Emirates. Now here's a buyer with deep pockets! Would be a clever move on their part, as Athens would also give them the possibility of a European hub. Do you think that this is a win/win situation for all?

Emirates denied the article...
next.

[mourgo]

I remember (in 2001) boarding an Olympic 737-200 at Athens airport. Captains window open, feet up and slightly out the window slouched on the chair reading his paper and drinking his frappe. Gotta love it!

OA have some of the best A340 pilots out there! Keep up the good work.

P.S. A bit of inside information (not official)- Potential future purchases of
A319 aircraft to replace old 734s and ERJ135 to replace all props.

[Check 'Six']

Not only the airline, but my favourite team as well!!! :E

Gia sas paides. Filia apo tin Arapia!

Check Six :ok:

[GrkPilot]

E oxi kai olympiakos re ...

mia einai h omada .. PANATHINAIKOS :)


Mourgo- let's see if the airline still exists after October :}