Flight International article on stress at LCC's.

[Colonel Klink]

While I hate to point out lies that easyJet have told David Learmount at Flight International, this weeks article on stress at easyJet is riddles with lies and inaccuracies. (FI 6-12 June, 06)
Andy Harrison is quoted as saying:"We haven't had significant issues in terms of getting the quality of people we need."
Andy, with all due respect, you are wrong!!!!
I guess that would explain the hundreds of flights that have been cancelled or subchartered over the last few weeks, due crew shortages. Why Globespan, Titan and others have been doing our flights for us, and will continue through June and July.
Why intake courses of cadet pilots and TRSS pilots have been cancelled or deferred due no applicants;
Why hundreds of qualified Airbus pilots who were listed on the data base are now fully employed elsewhere;
Why the hours requirements have dropped from 1500 to 500 total hours and they still cannot find anyone;
Why 345 pilots have resigned since 2002, including 12 TRE's of which one retired medically and the other reached 65.
Peter Griffiths has said the roster alternative to CAP 371 has produced significant improvement in alertness, and a decrese in mmistakes, etc, etc. Most easyJet pilots would dispute this!!!!
Bearing in mind most pilots are at their limits for flying hours and duty time, have had massive delays and roster changes over the last few weeks, and that the airline is 100 pilots short at least, and bearing in mind the amount of pilots who have left or are leaving while the airline continues to expand, this really does not ring true. Having admitted that they deliberately undercrewed to save money, but now cancelling flights in the busiest and most profitable part of the year the management are probably guilty of one of aviations worst ever own goals.

[MrBernoulli]

Should I be glad I didn't take up easyJet's offer of a job then, Herr Klink?

[niknak]

The dilema of running a low cost operation and the way pilots are treated was summed up by the fact that most lo - cost operators treat annual hourly flight crew limitations as a target instead of a limit.
However, low cost airlines are an avenue to better things and until that ceases to be the case, if it ever will cease to be, then that will always be so.

[RAT 5]

Col. K talks of lies. In repsonse to niknakand his correct assessment of the role of Lo Co's in a pilot's career, there is another mistruth; easyjet promotes itself as a 'career' airline. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is upheld by its actions. As with anything the second hand salesmen tells you: do not believe the words believe the actions and the workingn of the product.

[Algy]

Time to change? Pilots at Europe's fast-growing low-cost carriers are flying more and facing different pressures (http://shortlinks.co.uk/c8)

[RAT 5]

This ain't new. Studies have been done for years. What has improved? Nowt. Here's another study. What's your faith in it? Nowt!

Pilots are being treated like monkeys & robots. If you want to know if a roster pattern is tiring you do not ask a computer; you ask the people, human beings. Everyday the advertisers are telling us we are all different. Thus they design tailored made solutions to please us.To hell with computer studies; ask the sharp end! we are all above average educated career minded people. We do not want to commit commercial suicide, but also do not want to die to young either. B%^$oks to computer models and studies. Bring back the human ape.

RYR's stable roster sleeping in your own bed etc. etc? Oh Yeah! Speaking to friends, many of whom do not live at their nominated base, therefore do not sleep in their own bed; another false quote. 2nd. If you fly 5 earlies you get out of bed at 04.00 for a 0530 report. if you fly lates you go to bed at 00.30. Families tend to live to a different schedule which conflicts with that. You demand priority; try telling the kids/neighbours to shut up at 21.00 as you have to sleep. Try not waking up at 0700 as the family stirs for a normal day. Try not p!@#ing off your family as you get up at 04.00. Sleeping in your own bed with such a roster is not the best, a hotel is. In a 2 week period of 5/3/5/3 you would have 3-4 evenings for a normal family dinner. A not so wonderful contributor to family cohesion. Forget doing night classes or playing for a sports team; even having any kind of regular hobby. No flexibility. It is work and sleep, but little play. The old UK masocistic social attitude of 'live to work'! And here come the diet gurus who tell you to try the Meditarrenian diet and prolong your years. It ain't the food, it is the way of life. And plese don't anyone, least of all smelly camel, tell me I should not have become a pilot if I didn't like the lifestyle. Read the article. It has changed out of all recognition. Meanwhile there is a drive to improve the overall enviroment and working condifitons of other professions, but that of aircrew is being steadfastly and deliberately forced in the opposite direction.

This debate has been done many times on Prune. I do not want to open it up all again. But some of the twaddle quoted in that article has to be refuted.

So to hell with boffins and computers. Ask the family.

[dontdoit]

The blame for all this mess starts and ends with those in our profession who have prostituted themselves to go and work for one of the LCCs. The downhill trend in our Terms and Conditions is solely thanks to them. Sorry guys, I saw it coming - you obviously didn't.

[Yarpy]

Colonel Klink,

I am sure that David Learmount and Flight International would loved to have published details of the easyJet pilot shortage and related issues. They are probably fully aware of them. However, in theis litigious age, anything they publish must be supported by data.

Was the easyJet Balpa CC contacted as part of the research for the article?

Regards,Yarpy

[Doug the Head]

What a complete joke!

So much for the 'objectivity' of Flight International! Lemme guess...they were sooooooooo busy 'being objective' that they completely forgot to ask what most pilots think of it? :rolleyes:

I'm glad I cancelled my subscription many many years ago! Let them stick to publishing useless 'directories' and (EZY?! :p) recruitment adds!

Apparently everything is well, so go back to sleep everybody! :zzz:

[Fatter Cat]

What makes me laugh, is that Griffiths used to be a Copper, and now is a self declared authority on fatigue!

[Leo Hairy-Camel]

Interesting article, Algy. This (http://www.flightglobal.com/assets/getAsset.aspx?ItemID=12989) is the best thing in it, though.

My congratulations to your Jasper the illustrator, Algy, and a big BZ to the art department from me. Excellent!

Meanwhile, nothing succeeds like success, eh Rat? This from tomorrow's Lex column in the FT.

The overweening self-confidence of Ryanair's chief executive provokes a desire to prick it.

This is difficult to do, though, when Michael O'Leary continues to present such solid evidence of good performance. The Irish low-cost carrier increased passengers and revenue more than expected in the year to 31 March. Net income rose 12 per cent and unit costs rose only 5 per cent despite a 74 per cent increase in fuel costs over the year. The money Ryanair earns from providing extras like car hire or hotel bookings continues to grow as a proportion of total revenues, and contributed strongly to a 2 per cent increase in revenue per passenger. Given this, Mr O'Leary's boast that Ryanair will this year overtake Lufthansa as the world's largest international scheduled carrier is not as hubristic as it sounds. There are still valid questions to ask about Ryanair's future performance. It is adding capacity at breakneck pace. And although Mr O'Leary says cutting costs is like peeling an onion – once one layer is uncovered, another layer reveals itself – unit costs other than fuel cannot stay on a downward path indefinitely.
Despite all the good news, Ryanair shares are currently stuck where they were three years ago and, on forward price to earnings, trade on a 20 per cent discount to low-cost rivals like Easyjet and Southwest. So the most pressing question for shareholders is what Ryanair will decide to do with its cash pile, now approaching €2bn. Mr O'Leary says, with some justification, that he believes airlines rarely make money from acquisitions, so it is unlikely to be squandered. Shareholders hoping for a juicy special dividend have good reason to expect that Ryanair's success will soon flow over to them.

[manintheback]

Interesting article, Algie. This is the best thing in it, though.
http://www.flightglobal.com/assets/getAsset.aspx?ItemID=12989[/URL]
Despite all the good news, Ryanair shares are currently stuck where they were three years ago and, on forward price to earnings, trade on a 20 per cent discount to low-cost rivals like Easyjet and Southwest.

And why might that be......Markets a bit wary per chance?

[potkettleblack]

Don't forget that a significant portion of their cash on hand is from unearnt revenue. In other words pax paying in advance for flights that have yet to take place. Any special dividend will need to take into account the usual operating costs etc of running these flights, planned capex plus the other commitments that Ryanair has to satisfy so I don't think it will be that high a windfall if it does happen. Having said that there will no doubt be some considerable pressure put on by the institutional investors looking to cash in.

[PAXboy]

dontdoitThe blame for all this mess starts and ends with those in our profession who have prostituted ...

I'm not sure if you really meant to say:
The blame for all this mess starts and ends with those who saw a business opportunity to provide less for less.
The blame for all this mess starts and ends with those who want to pay the least possible money for the most possible flight distance.
Those two things had to happen first, before a single pilot was asked to do more for less. :hmm:

[potkettleblack]

Blame demand and supply. Economics 101.

[NoJoke]

I left easyJet because of the unfriendly, overbearing and unprofessional management, unrelenting hard work etc. The only way to beat them is to leave. However we are lucky with our excellent union support ;)

[Bokkenrijder]

Let´s see: the CAA allowing EZY to conduct a study on fatigue is like asking the fox to guard the chicken. :hmm:

Very strange procudure then to allow EZY and FR to dictate a rosy picture in Flight International, without even asking BALPA or any other pilot representative for a counter opinion in order to have a ballanced article.

It´s time for the CAA to wake up and take charge! That´s what they´re getting paid (our hard earned) tax money for!

p.s. where is David Learmont hiding these days? Doesn´t he sometimes post on PPRuNe? Come out come out where ever you are...!

[ShortfinalFred]

This is the same CAA who devolved safety management to the airlines' own internal ISO 2000 or whatever it is self-audit process. Likely to be completely independant of management pressure, NOT!

The CAA dont care at all if pilots burnout - its your responsibility if you are fatigued, and your career if you succumb to intolerable management pressure to operate despite being fatigued and screw-up because of it. Heads you lose, tails you lose! Welcome to the New Aviation.

LCC pilot useage is totally unsustainable over a 30 year career, (and that LCC-style pilot usage is now common in scheduled carriers too - Big Airways have 900 hours-a-year A320 pilots now), and it is not until we have the appalling spectre of a hull loss clearly attributable to the kind of pressure pilots operate under now that the regulator, (ever a reactive body), will even think of doing anything about it. CAA = the friend of the Big Business Battalions. Little Pilots dont even feature on the radar. CAA view = "Take it or Leave it".

Flight's article was a brazen suck-up to the business view:- "everything's fine, thanks" and only hinted at the true state of affairs at carriers like RYR. The only concession was to suggest that airlines may have to think about offering flexible contracts to allow for the fact that a LCC pilot who has, SHOCK, a young family, (how dare he or she), may be unable to keep up the manic pace and so will have to take a pay cut and possible career ending compromise by seeking to fly less through the early child rearing years - when the need for money is the most acute - in order to cope.

I suspect that the CAA know that the system is creaking and that CAP 371 was NEVER intended as a rostering TARGET, but they are addicted to the airline cashflow that pays for the shiny Belgrano and all the Good Things that go on there-in. Corporate vision = "Dont Bite The Hand That Feeds You"!

The public enquiry that follows from a hull-loss that is attributable directly to institutionalised, roster-induced, pilot fatigue would, one hopes, direct that a TRULY ACCOUNTABLE CAA would be completely independant from the companies it regulated and be financed from general taxation. What exists at present is a cosy, mutually-parasitic arrangement utterly conducive to the kind of dangerous compromise we see now.

Take care out there. You are on your own.

[Backwater]

The sad fact is that a hull loss due to fatigue will be attributed to 'human factors', or just plain old pilot error with the true reason for the disaster quietly covered up. Never underestimate the ability for airlines to pull strings, lie and cheat their way out of taking responsibility. We could build a list which would have no definite beginning and sadly no end but would include Erebus, Joburg and Bahrain. Two hull losses and one very close shave with very few lessons publicly learned. Oh yes the causes were identified but the systemic failures that 'set the scene' were glossed over.
So while we shout from the rooftops about how the airlines will rue the day they pushed us to the limits, the reality is that they probably won't be held accountable.

[Colonel Klink]

The next gift from easyJet is a long awaited guideline on how to manage one's life so as not to be fatigued!! Can't wait, maybe I'll buy extra copies on Amazon to give to friends for birthdays or other pilots who do not work for such a caring organisation as we do.
Or maybe we should do some maths:
Every duty 10.45 to 11.45;
An hour each way to get to work, park the car, chat to the boyz walking the other way and check Company Email for bollickings;
6 to 8 hours sleep;
An hour checking Email, reading this forum and paying bills, getting rid of the odd virus;
Well that only leaves 1.25 hours to manage my fatigue, or play with my daughter, talk to the wife/girlfriend, cut the grass, maybe eat a little and go for a short jog or watch the golf on telly so I am sure it will be short article!!!!!
Or maybe the new FTL's include a 30 hour day so they can extend FTL's by the commensurate amount!!!!!!

[Colonel Klink]

After I wrote the post above, I had another look at the post by Backwater further up the page. I totally agree with what he is saying.
According to the well known book, "Stress and Error in Aviation", at least 21%of accidents list Fatigue as a cause. With the advent of the LCC, the number must rise as more pilots are reaching FTL limits, and the pilot shortage will bite those airlines that already have a high turnover like easyJet and Ryanair as the remaining pilots are asked to work even harder.
Have a look at American Flight 1420 at Little Rock, , the MK Airlines 747crash, Korean 801 in Guam, Crossair in Zurich, Air Algerie in Coventry and the list goes on.
easyJet lost 159 pilots in the last year, how can they continue with high fuel costs and this type of turnover, among Cabin Crew as well, and still remain competitive????

[Monarch Man]

easyJet lost 159 pilots in the last year, how can they continue with high fuel costs and this type of turnover, among Cabin Crew as well, and still remain competitive????

Simple, the vast majority of joiners at Easy are F/O's, again the vast majority are via the TRSS scheme..obviously with this the TRSS person takes on all the debt (plus a little more than it actually costs) to train and become type-rated.
The cost of paying training captains, and line-training pay is more than offset by the student paying the cash and taking all the risk.

Cabin Crew are a slightly different story, however you will find that outside of the normal legacy carriers, the staff retention rate has always been abysmal.

:)

[Nick NOTOC]

Simple, the vast majority of joiners at Easy are F/O's, again the vast majority are via the TRSS scheme..obviously with this the TRSS person takes on all the debt (plus a little more than it actually costs) :)

cold you explain this?

Regards, Nick

[Colonel Klink]

Monarch man is quite correct when he suggests the majority of joiners are via the TRSS scheme, or Type Rating Self Sponsorship which is a deal where they pay for a type rating to join easyJet.
This scheme was OK when we had 2000 CV's after 9/11 but is a little passe now as qualified candidates dry up and contract pilots are being used to shore up the flights, in addition to severe subchartering. Of course "easy-lag" will apply here and it will be maybe three years before they discontinue it!!!!

"The cost of paying training captains, and line-training pay is more than offset by the student paying the cash and taking all the risk"

I'm not sure if Monarch man is suggesting that the low pay for cadets and TRSS is to offset Training Captains pay, in which I totally disagree. Firstly, we must be the hardest working Trainers in history bearing in mind the volume of new-joiners, upgrades and cadets we have, plus training to the Airbus. Our TC increment is less than several competing airlines, including Virgin and BA where they do not train nearly as much as we do. Try 4 sectors each day with 25 minute turnarounds with a 200 hour dadet!!
In any event, the 90% pay for 6 months for new Captains and FO's, the awful first 6 months allowances for cadets and other savings they make do not get lavished on the Trainers, but on management bonuses.

[Pollards]

Is it hypocritical that the Flight article in June reports:-
"Flightcrew will soon be presented with a fatigue risk management manual, 'to help them identify risks they can manage themselves' ".
When the editorial of the 31/01 - 06/02 issue states:-
" The NTSB has been trying to raise the issue of fatigue for years. Yet it is so lacking in faith in the FAA's willingness to do anything to correct the situation, despite the flood of new scientific evidence on the effect of tiredness that, in the Kirksville report, it recommends pilots should be given lessons in "fatigue countermeasures". That is recognise that you must be seriously tired at this point in a duty day, and make due allowances for it.
The situation is preposterous: it is like the NTSB's road transport department advising those drivers who insist on getting drunk that they should recognise their inebriation and manage its effects." ?
Or was the reporter of the June article not aware that the subject had been examined in January and a (very creditable) opinion already expressed on behalf of the organ?

[Paranoid Parrot]

Trouble is the pilots will be too knackered to read the 'Fatigue Risk Management Manual'. :hmm:

[Monarch Man]

I'm not sure if Monarch man is suggesting that the low pay for cadets and TRSS is to offset Training Captains pay, in which I totally disagree. Firstly, we must be the hardest working Trainers in history bearing in mind the volume of new-joiners, upgrades and cadets we have, plus training to the Airbus. Our TC increment is less than several competing airlines, including Virgin and BA where they do not train nearly as much as we do. Try 4 sectors each day with 25 minute turnarounds with a 200 hour cadet!!

NO I wasn't suggesting it in the way you disagree:ok:

I was suggesting that it is far cheaper for the bean counters to Pay..(and subsequently nearly work to death) training captains good money..because they know that the TRSS student is costing them next to nothing, and don't forget they are lined trained on a revenue generating flights:ok:

[Colonel Klink]

Fair point, Monarch man. You are quite right.

[Dr Faustus]

The issue of fatigue is not being properly addressed at ezy.

It is a major problem.

[Stan Woolley]

Dr Faustus

Easyjet have been contemptuous of this issue from the very beginning, I joined when they had 5 a/c and it was a problem even then.

Here is a exerpt from a 2002 thread:-




This from today's The Times......


August 09, 2002

EasyJet 'is stretched to limit', airline boss admits
By Ben Webster, Transport Correspondent



EUROPE’S biggest budget airline has admitted that its pilots and cabin crew are under severe pressure because the airline does not have enough trained staff to cope with its record-breaking growth.
EasyJet plans to cancel some flights from next week to try to recover some control over its schedule.

Letters to pilots from Vilhelm Hahn-Petersen, the operations director, which have been leaked to The Times, describe how easyJet is struggling with “severe disruption”.

“It is very clear that the current situation cannot continue,” Mr Hahn-Petersen wrote on Wednesday.

“Right now it feels soul destroying and the bottom line is we can now conclude that the 60 per cent growth coupled with four new crew bases and lots of new routes has stretched us significantly.

“The combination of volume and complexity in the summer schedule has stretched us to the limit. I recognise that we need to scale back slightly to recreate stability.”

Mr Hahn-Petersen said he understood “the frustrations and concerns of all crew”.

What has changed??????????????:mad:

[Colonel Klink]

And look what happened to him as a result!!! Banished back from where he came!!

[easyprison]

August 09, 2002

As long ago as that!!! Things haven't changed then............ :ugh:

[Stan Woolley]

Colonel K
And look what happened to him as a result!!! Banished back from where he came!!

Yes, probably with a large wad along with the others? Anyway the point is not what happened to him but what happened to the rosters.

Note only 4 months after the above debacle!.............:yuk:

From "The Independent" website:

"EasyJet to pay £10m bonus to 38 managers
By Michael Harrison
11 December 2002
A group of senior easyJet executives are to receive an early Christmas present after the airline completed a key stage in the integration of its low-cost rival Go four months ahead of schedule.

The switch to a single air operator's licence, which took place on Monday, has triggered the first tranche of a £10m bonus payment for 38 top managers from the two airlines.

The executives will each receive a year's salary in shares in return for hitting the target early.

[RAT 5]

Back to the beginning: scientists to assess if fatigue & tiredenss really exist. We all know the answer to that, but will they. However, it is no official, becasue the boffins have discovered a chemical reason why, that a meditarrean style siesta after lunch is good for you. (D.T last week). Well that's alright then. Human guinea pigs have been trialling it for decades and have all the data they require.

If the chief medical officer flew on the jump seat for a months roster, of both LoCo's & longhaul, there would be no doubt about the outcome. It would be quick & cheap and very objective. Simple!

In 3 airlines I have challenged my boss, and the head of rostering, to work to my roster but in the cosy office. No-one took up the challenge. Shame on them, pontificating on something they have no idea about.

Why not BALPA challenge the CAA to such a trial. Forget about all the medical studies and computers, just put the good old human to the test and then they will understand what we are talking about.

[Wizofoz]

Heard a classic yesterday......

Andy Harrison, to his credit, has been spending time on the front line flying as cabin crew.

Apparently recently during briefing, he was looking at the four sector, 25min turn around schedule for the day and politley enquired of the senior..."Errr...and when is our break??":hmm:

[PAXboy]

For those of us on the outside looking in, who is Andy Harrison? Whoever he is, it sounds like one small step for crew, even if not yet a giant leap for management kind. :p

[Bokkenrijder]

Andy Harrison, to his credit, has been spending time on the front line flying as cabin crew. Didn't PT also fly as cabin crew in order to score some quick brownie points? Look what happened to him... :uhoh:

Well if we can´t beat them why not join them? Let´s all become management pilots and fly 1-2 days per week (errrr 1-2 days per month is more likely) while we fill our pockets with share options during the remaining ´working´ days! And if the sh!t hits the fan: who cares, just ask your buddy at Flight International to write a nice sympathetic story! Bravo! :D

[Colonel Klink]

For the unitiated, Andy Harrison is the new CEO of easyJet. I personally presented him with a list of the pilots who had left easyJet since 2002 in the hope that it might galvanize him into action, but as always with "those people", the only time anything gets done is when it costs them money or they can't crew a flight.
Andy Harrison may be a breath of fresh air to some. It would not be hard to improve on his predecessor, who caused friction with every segment of the workforce he managed for which Andy is now paying the price. However, enough time has gone by and not enough has changed. Why is he parading himself as Cabin Crew to better understand the conditions they face whilst working a gruelling 12 hour day? After all, he pays his managers to do that. Or maybe he has finally woken up to the fact that there is not ONE of them that can be trusted and he is better off doing it himself!!

[eal401]

6 to 8 hours sleep;
An hour checking Email, reading this forum and paying bills, getting rid of the odd virus;
Well that only leaves 1.25 hours to manage my fatigue, or play with my daughter, talk to the wife/girlfriend, cut the grass, maybe eat a little and go for a short jog or watch the golf on telly so I am sure it will be short article!!!!!

So playing with your daughter would come after reading PPRuNe? I suggest quit the moaning and start prioritising.

6 to 8 hours sleep?? You lucky b*stard.

[Colonel Klink]

eal, no that's not what I do at all. I have to play with her first so I can read Pprune in peace when she's gone to bed!!!!!!!!

[Few Cloudy]

Unfortunately Rat, riding the jump seat, especially if you haven't been trained as crew doesn't get the heart rate up and the brain whizzing, as sitting a couple of feet further forward does.

It tends to give you a sore back and hunger but not much more.

However, doing the galley chores on tight turnrounds is a pretty good intro and any manager who would do that for some days is worthy of note.

Good luck to all,

FC.

[Nice Touch]

Stan-hello hope this finds you well.
It is also worth remembering WHY the bonus got paid in the first place. The challenge was to join easy and Go on budget. All was going well untill that pesky sim training got in the way. So the managers of the people based, "if you think safety is expensive...." SOPs, standards, etc; decided that the money was more important and just sent a cardboard box with Part A in it to STN and the the Go guys and girls had work it out.

Money grabbing bastardos-do you think you-and your roster stand a chance.
Perhaps the ex-Go now self appointed saftey spokes person and sponser of Flight Intl. stories might comment.

[Fifty Above]

NT, the person to whom you refer is one of the worst things to come out of GO. He's still trying desperately to get on the Board - a dangerous and self interested ex-plod to be avoided at all costs.

[Masai]

http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAAPaper2005_04.pdf

[PAXboy]

Masai thanks for the reference. I have only read to page 13 and this fascinating statement: p 13 of The Polar Route 2.3.9 The overall conclusion was that the polar route was associated with extensive disruption of the sleep-wake and of the circadian system, and that it took approximately five days for the crews to make a complete, or almost complete, recovery.

Given that that study was made in the 1980s, would I be correct in thinking that rest periods have been shortened since then? So that after a London~Anchorage~Tokyo~Anchorage~London the pilot could be off again on the next route, in less than five days?

[mikesmithflying]

Hi Colonel

I know you dedicated a lot of effort on the CC but the conditions you seek are in abundance elsewhere. The smartest move I made in my flying career was to leave easyJet. I have a great life now with an employer that has some respect for my desire to have a life outside of work with family and friends. I read a recent comment from someone in easyJet that they need to push crews until they find out what the limit is... I was amazed to read this. Is the limit reached when they suffer a hull loss?

[alternatelaw]

Hello K.K to all those who have posted, I have just recieved a very interesting letter from my AME who on my behalf wrote to the CAA when i highlighted the levels of fatigue i was experiencing .It highlights the areas where easyjet think the fatigue lies.And it's the biggest loead of S'''t i have ever heard still blaming pilot postcodes!and they addmitted that the crewing levels were a bit down but promised to restore the levels by summer 06 !!!!.WELL done that,, aint they, NOT!.
Easyjet are in serious crisis and I think that they have known for a long time.
On another tack:
The other day an A/C was sent from edi-stn empty to pick up an SCCM!
Prior to that they sent an SCCM with her own privet A319 to DTM to operate a flight they they flew her back on the same A/C empty . But there was an A/C in DTM with a crew missing an SCCM! and they could have simply pos an SCCM from LUT in plenty of time .CRISIS WHAT CRISIS?
By the way i'm out very soon,result ? loss, another senior trainer!
ALT

[mikesmithflying]

I would suggest that this is not a pprn but the moderator imposed view on the world. go on delete that. and ban me too you pinkos

[Exeasy]

As one of the many who has left in the last year, I am not surprised to hear that nothing has changed. The reason I left was exactly the same as many others - quality of life! I now fly longhaul worldwide and am enjoying my flying once again. I see more of my family now than what I ever did at easy and despite a lot of nightflying, I am a lot less tired.
I am still amazed that no heads have rolled with regard to the huge numbers of people leaving. Sorry I forget, all management do is increase the Key Performance Indicator figures so that they still come in under target and can get their bonus.
For all of you at easy thinking of leaving, all I can say that there is life outside the orange bubble and boy is it good!
Anyway, got to go to work now for only the 4th time this month, all I have to do is remember where I left my uniform last week!
Keep the sunny side up
Exeasy and glad.

[Exeasy]

:) Hi Blue foot

yes i agree with you without the fantastic training and hour building i had at easy I would not be with with the airline iam with today. However I would say to the pilots with the hours get out now and get your lives back while you can. The airline I am with love easy Pilots thanx to the first class training and experience.

Happy landings

[FlapsOne]

Fifty Above

I think you'll find he is on the board already!!

[aviationdoc]

Everyone has detailed all the work issues that contribute to this already.
Another factor that is often omitted is the time taken to travel to and from work.Pilots often live quite a long way from their place of work and after a long duty day,combined with time zone changes and sleeping away from home a long journey on a busy motorway is more hazardous than flying.
Some airlines transport their Flight Deck crew to and from work.Also some hospital authorities provide taxis for staff who work long hours and are likely to be fatigued at the end of their 24 hour shift.

[outofsynch]

Doc,

Which is exactly why, if I were in CAA, would require that airlines either require pilots to live withing 30min of base, or preferably, include travel times in duty hours, as it is ALL fatigue, to be counted!

[RAT 5]

I have worked under the Scandanavian FTL's. They seemed far more realistic. Time off at the place of rest was minimum 12 hours, same as most normal jobs with much less safety implications. If you were required to live within 1 hour of work then you were allowed 1 hour to drive home after duty, then the 12 hours started, and then 1 hour to drive back to work. Simple and humane. If you were night stopping at the airport only 30 minutes for travelling.
Consider it; 1 hour drive home including walk to carpark, 1 hour to adjust to being 'off duty', 2 hours dinner with family + relax, (unless you are on lates with RYR),8 hours in bed, 1 hour to shower & have breakfast, 1 hour to drive to work + walk from carpark. Total = 14 hours. Compare that to the minimum 10 hours under Irish law & 12 hours under UK. Where is it unreasonable considering the random shift system under which we operate? Never had a triedness problem under these FTL's. They are constantly improving the realiability of the hardware we operate but constantly diluting the software.

The message will get through and the supply of pilots will dry up. I have no doubt. Unless it changes!

[Doug the Head]

They are constantly improving the realiability of the hardware we operate but constantly diluting the software.
The message will get through and the supply of pilots will dry up. I have no doubt. Unless it changes! Excellent way to put it! There is of course another way that the message might get through: a big smoking hole in the ground! :ouch: