Nok Air Pilot Walkout

[tasspook]

Not entirely sure what's going on, but it sounds like these pilots are having a hissy fit.

Nok Air mulls pilot walkout response | Bangkok Post: news (http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/863664/nok-air-mulls-pilot-walkout-response)

[Hogger60]

Not entirely sure what's going on, but it sounds like these pilots are having a hissy fit.

This is the original article in the Bangkok Post

Pilot strike grounds Nok Air flights
Published: 14/02/2016 at 10:07 PM
Bangkok Post Online

Budget airline Nok Air cancelled eight local flights on Sunday evening after pilots went on strike, leaving some 1,000 passengers stranded at Don Mueang airport.

The airline initially gave no reason for the abrupt cancellation and only informed its passengers that scheduled flights were not ready to take off due to “technical problems”, and that it would offer full refunds to affected customers.

Nok Air chief executive Patee Sarasin later told reporters the airline was forced to cancel the flights because more than 10 pilots staged a strike after it increased audit standards for the flight operations department, bringing them into line with those of the European Aviation Safety Agency. He said some pilots did not meet the new criteria and went on strike to express their discontent.

The airline announced the cancellation of the eight flights at 3pm. All were scheduled to leave Don Mueang airport late in the afternoon to Chiang Mai, Khon Khaen, Hat Yai, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surat Thani, Phitsanuloke, Phuket and Ubon Ratchathani.

“Nok Air has contacted other airlines that fly on the same routes such as THAI Smile Airways, Thai Lion Air and Thai AirAsia, but all of them are full,” Mr Patee told Thairath TV.

“I am confident that there will be no problem with flight cancellations tomorrow” as Monday is a normal working day when the full administration resources and back-up plans are in palce, Mr Patee said.

He said the damage caused by the pilot protest was unacceptable and management would discuss what to do about it on Monday.

Don Mueang airport director Petch Chancharoen said the airline had to arrange accommodation for the stranded travellers if it could not find alternative flights for them and described the situation at Don Mueang airport as of 9pm as “still chaotic”.

Many of the passengers later went on to Nok Air's Facebook page to express anger at their treatment by the airline.

They criticised the airline for the delay in alerting them to the flight cancellations. Some said they did not get any message at all.

Others attacked the striking pilots, accusing them of holding the passengers hostage.

Facebook user Hikawari PS wrote: “Phuket-Bangkok flight at 10.45pm has been cancelled and there is no alert message. I have to work early tomorrow morning. What should I do? …. It is too late to book a bus - but travelling 12 hours by bus is terrible.”

.

[captjns]

Can someone shed light on this comment?

Nok Air chief executive Patee Sarasin later told reporters the airline was forced to cancel the flights because more than 10 pilots staged a strike after it increased audit standards for the flight operations department, bringing them into line with those of the European Aviation Safety Agency. He said some pilots did not meet the new criteria and went on strike to express their discontent.

[tasspook]

captjns

I've been trying to work than one out too. What kind of "new criteria" did these pilots supposedly not meet?

Sounds odd.

[EStrike101]

From the link(in Thai):

????! ???????????????? 1 ?????? 2 ??? 7 ?????? ???????????????? - Nation TV (http://www.nationtv.tv/main/content/social/378489744/)

They have fired 7 pilots, re-evaluatiing 2 and 1 non flying employee.

From what I read, it doesn't look good, these guys seems angry.

[Roti Canai]

Would be good to know what Standards or whatever it is they failed to meet.

[somchai]

According to the Bangkok Post . . . "Some of the pilots failed their evaluation in the more vigorous auditing procedures."

Yet they are saying they went on strike?

Then I understand they get a Yellow Card from the regualtory agency. Did not know we are playing football.

[tasspook]

European ambition caused Nok Air strike | Bangkok Post: news (http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/transport/867840/european-ambition-caused-nok-air-strike)

One might be forgiven for thinking that perhaps a number of Nok pilots might have rather thin skin.

[harrryw]

This is an outsider who is living in Thailands view.
Thailand has had problems with certifications etc which do not match international standards and has been forced to deal with this.
th Civil Aviation Deparment has hired a British firm to bring it up to scratch but only about a third of the inspectors were qualified to do the British course..

I think some NOK pilots got paid a little extra for certification and other operational duties.
NOK decided you had to be one or the other. IE managment = no flying as a pilot.

Pilots are objecting to this.

This may not be correct but it is my best view.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/learning-from-news/867572/nok-air-gets-warning-dismissed-captain-blames-pilot-shortage

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/866688/captain-claims-strike-for-passenger-safety


http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/transport/864912/govt-likely-to-delay-next-icao-review-to-2017

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/865128/peaceful-skies-reign-again

[somchai]

From one of the articles you linked from the individual who got fired:

"Airline executives pressured the company's trainers to authorise the use of new, not fully qualified pilots, to cover the gaps, something Mr Sanit says he firmly resisted and which caused great unease among the trainers who were also pilots.

They were among those who refused to fly on Sunday, Mr Sanit said. Their distressed psychological state disqualified them from flying. Thus, Sunday's action was not a strike, not a protest, but was caused by a genuine problem within the company, he said."

[harrryw]

and another
Nok Air Denies Flying Unqualified Trainee Pilots (http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1455698180&typecate=06&section=)

[somchai]

The CEO further explained the airline’s woes on the Chinese zodiac.

Three company executives were born in the Year of the Tiger, the airline CEO explained, which makes for great misfortune in this Year of the Monkey. To turn things around, Patee said the executives plan to make merit together at a temple.

Nok Air Denies Flying Unqualified Trainee Pilots (http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1455698180)

[joy16]

"Airline executives pressured the company's trainers to authorise the use of new, not fully qualified pilots, to cover the gaps, something Mr Sanit says he firmly resisted and which caused great unease among the trainers who were also pilots.

They were among those who refused to fly on Sunday, Mr Sanit said. Their distressed psychological state disqualified them from flying. Thus, Sunday's action was not a strike, not a protest, but was caused by a genuine problem within the company, he said."

The not fully qualified pilots he mentioned actually 2 ex-TG pilots with 20,000+ total flight hours and one of them has a flight with a trainer and CAAT inspector on Feb 14, 2016 for qualifying him as a captain with Nok Air. But 5 Nok Air's trainers called sick leave on that day so this flight was cancel.

[Pin Head]

Hopefully nok will let non Thai citizens now join with decent reputable licences and backgrounds.

At the end if the day there are 198 pax behind us.

Thoughts?

[somchai]

"Fully qualified pilots" still have to complete required training when they join a new company.

If what you say is correct and I am not disputing what you write, sounds very reasonable, . . . if all the pilots involved were trainers, then they would know the assigned pilot was "not fully qualified."

Then the person assigning and authorizing the "student" the flight and coordinatiing the checkride with CAAT should be in trouble.

Am thinking you might very well know the answer to that.

[harrryw]

Nok Air flights ?grounded because two pilots were sick? - The Nation (http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Nok-Air-flights-grounded-because-two-pilots-were-s-30279486.html)

and today

Nok Air cancels flights Tuesday - Thai PBS English News (http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/151743)

[kwaiyai]

Brookfield are advertising for 737 and Dash 8 captain. I
Heard alot of pilots left Nok on top of all this.

[JoeMcGrath]

Dont even think of Brookfield or you'll be sorry!

[kwaiyai]

Tend to agree Joe, they came across as a bunch of used Car sales Men.
just posting what I saw BTW.

[galdian]

any other agencies advertising on behalf of Nok??

[ImBMe]

Im still owed many Euro from contracts with Brookfield and I have friends that spend many months getting paid from them.

As well, wire transfers that "mysteriously" got lost and took several months to resolve, though other Agency's never had a problem with my transfers.

Also, friends that had a great relationship with Brookfield. However, that doesn't recoup the Euro Im owed.

[ImBMe]

Patee? Isnt he the guy that with "Tony-Ranban" tried to convince then "DGA", that Thailand should ban expat pilots and only promote within.

Guess what Patee. You saw what happened to Tony RanBan when he tried that concept at Thai Lion. Maybe CAAT has a job for you also.

[kwaiyai]

Sorry to hear that IMBme to be fair they at least paid me on time in USD however they seemed to have no Firkin idea about Licensing in foreign countries etc etc nor cared as I guess like alot of these 44444's were simply cutting a so called management charge anyway.
BTW Do you mean Tony Rayban's? :D If yes, he is a rather silly little legend in his own mind isnt he. I met him once while working in the land of smiles.

[chai ja]

There's a saying in Thai which is far too rude to post, but it refers to water monitors.... Tony is now in 9*. :ok:

[ImBMe]

To Funny, Elvis is at 9*.
So St Hill went over the hill again?, or he working for Elvis at 9*. I told him last year that you may shine at CX, but Cambodia and Thailand operate a bit differently.

Had dinner with some Korean friends that have been in SE Asia aviation for some time. Now they have started a leasing company and have a good handle on who is who in the Tourist Aviation market. In casual conversation, he mentioned that Crystal Thai had a little clout, U-airlines not much and 9* none at all. But no problem, Elvis will fix it.

[kwaiyai]

Wonder if the Ex Basaka Farang is with him at 9,,,,,, as well.

[JoeMcGrath]

any other agencies advertising on behalf of Nok??

http://www.aviationagentasia.com

[galdian]

thanks Joe
I've obviously had an incredibly sheltered existence - but I've never heard of aviationagentasia.com

Off to have a little lookie in the WWW!

Cheers
galdian :ok:

[kwaiyai]

Saw this advert with Wright Aviation,
Maybe Elvis is behind it?

Aircraft type:
Airbus A318 / A319 / A320 / A321
Job description

Ref. # 9TGIWAI/16/BKK/A320

Hiring now A 320-200 trainee first officer, first officer, Capt. TRE/TRI

Vacancy open with A 320-200 trainee first officer, first officer, and Capt. (TRE/TRI will be an advantage) position for Bangkok, Thailand.

In order to keep our services at a higher level and meet our customers’ maximum satisfaction, suitably qualified candidates (non type rated CPL holder with multi engine rating or expat/type rated pilot with minimum 5000 on type hours) are invited to fill the vacant position available with us as follows.

Job title :

1. A 320 Trainee First Officer

2. A 320 First officer

3. A 319, A 320 Capt., Captain (TRE/TRI)

Job Hours:

Full time as per company roster and schedule

Job Duration:

Renewable two year contract.

Remuneration package offered including accommodation allowance, transportation, medical, uniform, air tickets, insurance etc. will be covered by us.

Requirements

For Trainee First Officer Post:

CPL, IR, MER
Valid Class I Medical (no restriction)
ICAO English proficiency level V or above

For First Officer Position:

i. CPL/ATPL, IR, MER

ii. Valid class I medical, without any restriction

iii. ICAO English proficiency level iv

iv. A 320 type rating with minimum 1500 on type hours

For Captain, TRE/TRI Post,

i. ATPL

ii. Valid class I medical without any restriction

iii. A minimum 5000 on type hours is a must (for those applying TRE/TRI position)

iv. Designated TRE/TRI will be an advantage

v. Incident accident free record

vi. Age not more than 52 years.

Application:

Interested applicants should submit their expression of interest including curriculum vitae with photograph (MUST) on it and cover letter via e-mail at: [email protected]

Only short-listed applicants will be contacted.

Closing date:

Open Vacancy

Note:

Salary is negotiable for A 319, A 320 Capt. TRE/TRI

Non type rated pilot will have to bear type training expenses.


Apply now

[Hogger60]

Patee apologises in Nok damage control
Bookings down since Valentine's Day fiasco

Bangkok Post

Writer: Boonsong Kositchotethana
Position: Deputy Editor Business

Published: 7/03/2016 at 06:30 AM
Newspaper section: Business


Nok Air boss Patee Sarasin issued the company's first formal apology to customers on Friday, nearly three weeks after mass flight cancellations triggered by a pilot strike and sudden resignations.

His five-paragraph letter was emailed individually to customers by name largely to explain the issues that have troubled the budget airline since Feb 14.

In the letter, Mr Patee talked about the actions taken to address problems that led to some 20% of Nok Air flights being cancelled with several other flights operated by other airlines on its behalf through charter arrangements.

Some industry observers felt a formal apology was long overdue, a move to restore the airline's diminished credibility as shown by significantly slower bookings, clouding its business outlook. There has even been a management shake-up at the SET-listed carrier.

"Nok Air's name has definitely been tarnished by the turn of events and clearly it will take time to regain passengers' confidence," said an industry observer who requested anonymity.

"Much depends on how concrete the remedial action is, how well it is implemented and that no additional setback takes place."

A looming obstacle for Nok Air was the allegation by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand that the airline and its pilots breached legal flight time limits over the past three weeks. That will raise questions about the airline's safety oversight, an issue that has plagued the kingdom's aviation industry in general.

If found guilty, Nok Air and pilots are subject to penalties such as fines and suspension of air operating licences, which could halt more flights.

In the letter, Mr Patee singled out the pilot strike on Valentine's Day for causing the fiasco, which has resulted in the airline operating at roughly a third of its capacity.

"We have been working on several issues in our organisation as the airline plans future cooperation with European partner airlines, and that requires Nok Air to upgrade its standards to the higher levels of the European Aviation Safety Agency," he said.

"As a result, certain pilots did not accept the changes and went on strike to express their discontent, which affected our passengers and was followed by additional pilot resignations, causing a pilot shortfall and more flight cancellations."

Some 20 pilots left Nok Air.

[ImBMe]

What I find truly amazing is after such a major disruption in credibility, public service and financial discord , the NOK BOD has not chimed in on this.

Any respectable carrier's BOD would have lost all confidence in Kuhn Patee by now and shown him the way out the front door....permanently.

[CapZZR]

Hi all,

I am considering Nok Air for potential employment.

Not sure what is exactly going on there at the moment. Does anyone have any detailed information or any opinion from pilots who currently work there would be highly appreciated?

Cheers.

CapZZR

[Pin Head]

Any updates? Heard that the tide may be changing?

Thanks

Pin

[ZFT]

Any updates? Heard that the tide may be changing?

Thanks

Pin

Careful of a riptide

[jamestaylor]

Can I ask typical package in Thailand for 738 line pilot?

[YFloyd]

Can I ask typical package in Thailand for 738 line pilot?
Basically, US$11k nett with Nok and TLM. Others less.....

Nok are probably not hiring any more expats until 2nd quarter 2017 though as numbers are stable. Though, a few more expats joining by the end of the year and recently took a bunch of ex TG pilots too.

Q400 hire is ramping up......

[Swazi]

http://www.aviationagentasia.com

PM me for an insight if needed

[Boeingboy773]

How difficult is the medical examination there ?

[YFloyd]

How difficult is the medical examination there ?
No need to do a medical in Thailand as it is a validated license & medical process.