CREWING CRISIS MANIFESTS ITSELF

[Trafalgar]

Heard from a reliable source that the company is cancelling the newly inaugurated 4th LAX flight, for at least two months if not more, starting in Oct or Nov. Reason, 'lack of crew'. Don't believe it when the company tries to tell you that they have adequate crew numbers. They don't, and the problem is rapidly getting worse. The number of long hauls with either two Captains or two SO's is also plainly indicative of a system that is breaking down. CC will bury them.

[cxorcist]

No worries, just another "missed opportunity" as NR likes to say.

Perhaps NR will be held accountable as People Director.

[Hugo Peroni the IV]

Find a decent rostering system that the pilots like and can control some aspect of their lives, drop sickness rates to normal airline rates and suddenly there are 100's of pilots to do the job.

Simple really?

[Average Fool]

Plenty of crew, just too many planes/pax/flights

[Captain Dart]

...but think of all the fuel they're saving.

[cxorcist]

Hugo is spot on. Buy a decent rostering system with pilot choice and watch the sickness rate go down significantly. You might even get to sack some of the hand schedulers in ICM as the computer would do most of the work.

[bm330]

Problem is that no currently available system will even draft a skeleton schedule with the number of pilots available. There have been several attempts with various companies. Not a secret - visit the Rostering crowd and they'll tell you. They have 100% job security right now and for the foreseeable future because CX will never have the number of crews it should. Why would they - people volunteer to work on their days off.

[SloppyJoe]

I don't agree. If they are short of crew an automated rostering system would still work it would just mean there are more reserve blocks and minimum Gs for the junior guys and more overtime payments. It does not work ONLY because CX want to avoid overtime so use goodwill that can't be put on the published roster to keep the show on the road.

[Lowkoon]

Delta use Navtech, Delta Completes Transition To New Crew Rostering Software - Navtech (http://www.navtech.aero/index/delta_completes_transition_to_new_crew_rostering_software.ht ml)

This company is just waiting for the freeware version.

To ask rostering if there is anything out there that will replace them, any wonder they are unable to find anything? :hmm:

[AQIS Boigu]

Sadly there might be a downturn soon - who knows...they Chinese tanks might roll in on Monday; problem solved...CX always gets lucky!!!

[Will IB Fayed]

Buy a decent rostering system with pilot choice and watch the sickness rate go down significantly

But how can anymore than half the pilots get the roster they want?

The junior Capt/Fo's/SO's will still get their sh!t roster.

[positionalpor]

2 NA FO just resigned, another one will shortly follow........

[broadband circuit]

But how can anymore than half the pilots get the roster they want?

The junior Capt/Fo's/SO's will still get their sh!t roster.

Ok, Will IB Fayed, you might actually be Chr!s H*yl@nd, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and tell you about him.

For years, that has been his response to any talk of a system with pilot choice, be it automated, or bid line. And the response back to him has always been "But Chris, not everyone want the same thing. What's a sh!t trip for one pilot is a good trip for another. Yes there's a few trips that most people don't want, but for most flights you'll find someone happy to do it. By letting everyone have a say, most people will get at least something they want. It's a win-win".

Yet, he still can't understand that everyone wants something different. This is the guy who's in charge of our rostering. Is it any wonder it's a disaster....

[SloppyJoe]

My rosters are **** and will continue to be ****. With a PBS at least I know that in a couple of years they will get better. That is huge for morale. If they stopped upgrading guys who have been here for 3 years onto the 777 and took more senior FOs across that would also reduce the sickness rate in my opinion.

[AQIS Boigu]

That's right - every upgrade on the 330...

No wonder about the sickness rate - last month I requested a trip as priority 2 and didn't get it; but 12 pilots got it without request...what a ****** up system we have!!!

[joblow]

The Christmas rostering fiasco is a good example
From 15 Nov until 15 Jan no one is allowed to place any roster requests
Why the hell not ? It's a request system, you may not get the requested trip but the same criteria applies every month .
There are some crew who would happily work to their home base over Christmas or New Year, for others they want to be in HK
But with the stupid system we have now you can guarantee that no one gets what they want during that period

[AQIS Boigu]

Embargo dates are

2014-12-18 to 2015-01-08

[bugged on the right]

Getting a laugh (cynical ) out of this. I left CX in 96 and there had been a number of attempts to use a computerised rostering system. Every one reported can not. Not enough crews. I think the crew controllers at the time were brilliant for the company, they would get your monthly roster right to the overtime threshold but not over. As ever the company wanted to do it cheaper.

[cxorcist]

Yep, 80-84 hours every time. The problem is that a 20 of those credit hours are PTing around NAM to the tune of $4000US. After calling in sick for one of those trips, 84 just went down to 65. Of those 65, maybe 48 are actual block hours. Yep, they are really saving a lot of money. No doubt about it.

[Pogie]

I swear everyone is retarded!

"A computerized rostering system won't work because we don't have enough pilots!"

A computerized rostering system CAN do anything a human roster destroyer can. In fact, it can even do it better. It's just a matter of programming. You can write whatever code you want into the program. Heck, you could even program it to make your life miserable and wait until 11pm on the 15th before it releases the results. You wouldn't even be able to tell that it wasn't done by the current schedulers.

"I don't want a PBS because all the senior guys will get the good trips! Whaaaaaaa!"

You don't get what you want now, so how can it be worse. If you are, then it's just pure dumb luck. Eventually, you'll be senior too. That's how seniority works. I'd rather have a system where I have some control, and my roster will get better with time. Now, we have no control, and it's not getting better ever unless we change it.

[Shot Nancy]

Eventually, you'll be senior too.
Ask your friends in QF how that is working out for them.
Rotating roster bidding is fairest.

[Hugo Peroni the IV]

Rotating roster bidding....just a flick of a PBS switch!

But we'll be stuck with out present system for 'several years' it seems.

[crwkunt roll]

Perhaps NR will be held accountable as People Director.
Good one.....!

[plainpilot11]

News from LAX recently is that due to lack of crew, one of the two morning flights will continue each day, and both night flights will launch. The morning flights will alternate every other day in October and November, and both resume in December when we are finished with CC after receiving our deserved, non-divisive adjustment.

Remember, it's all about forward bookings. :D

[AQIS Boigu]

They have also been canceling Jakarta flights this month and in November; although we are supposed to go 4 times daily eff January 2nd.

[jetsam]

They are alternating 254/ 256 on some midweek days now iso 5 a day.

[LS8C1]

Don't think that's crewing. 156 Pax on cx253 last week

[Mr Angry from Purley]

One of my Motto's

"A computerised system is only as good as the user"

From the below it doesn't look as though crew preferences featured in the process

http://www.airport-technology.com/features/feature661/

[Lowkoon]

And to think that was only 8 years ago! What a wonderful system it has turned out to be... :hmm:

[ColonelAngus]

Numerous US-based first officers have just had their Thanksgiving long joker days off cancelled by "The Administrator" and have been notified of such by company email.

[CokeZero]

I hear that their are computer technicians on-call 24-7 at Hello Kitty City getting paid truck-loads off cash to keep the computer system up and going. It should have been replaced years ago.....

The company is literally throwing money at it - and they aren't even getting ready to replace it.....

Another missed opportunity

[From a distance]

Numerous US-based first officers will restore their Thanksgiving long joker days off and shaft "The Administrator" by calling in sick and notify Crew Control of such by telephone.


Honestly this company can be so Dumb. Happy Thanksgiving.

[plainpilot11]

Not really.

Everyone must have a position, a job, no matter how menial. It's just how things are done. It really is progress! FORWARD!!!

[JammedStab]

Can't they just start hiring a lot of pilots or is the training system maxed out. Direct entry FO along with SO depending on experience.

Or.....offer a good commuting contract with decent time off and they would probably have a flood of applications.

[Scoreboard]

Trolling Jammed?

1.Simple the training system is always maxed because they cant plan their way out of a paper bag.....when the new year task is released by cx training depts, you could use it for toilet paper...because 3 months laters its all flipped...
Loved the year they said "only 10 commands..." It ended at 60 odd...why? Cause retirements per year let alone loss of medicals etc runs around 50 pilots per year....so where the hell do you pull 10 out of their asses? That was the flight ops paying mouth music to the bean counters.Been here 24 years and anything that comes out as a plan out of their offices....i just think the direct opposite...and that is what it will be.

2. Yeah direct entry f/o....on what crap salary scale?...and the current s/o have to wait for an upgrade on their horrible packages.....that would be a disaster for the company...s/o revolt just one thing that would happen.

3. Commuting package? Have you been keeping up with how bad rostering is here and now you have been updated on the traiining ....do you think they could actually pull off a decent commuting roster? Let alone a package? The current request system is a joke with people being given flights they didnt request and pilots wanting those flights finding that their request has been ignored.

Seriously a troll with little clue how poor this companies management skills are....

[Captain Dart]

They could not even get Pakistanis to join on the last HKG Advanced Entry offer they tried on.