Saudi's On Time Performance

[ReadMyACARS]

Found this in the ArabNews a couple of days a go. I am sure that there are some better methods available to ensure on time departures.

Lets hope that the crew didn't end up in Chop-Chop Square.:(


Saudia crew penalized for flight delay
By a Staff Writer
JEDDAH, 14 January 2003 — Saudi Arabian Airlines has decided to punish the crew of flight 701 bound for Karachi for causing a five-hour delay in the flight’s departure, Al-Jazirah newspaper reported yesterday. Their salaries will be cut for an unspecified period as a penalty. The board viewed the incident as potentially damaging to Saudia’s reputation and imposed the exemplary punishment to prevent a similar lapse in the future. Director General of SAA Dr. Khaled Bin Bakr publicly apologized for the incident, the paper said. He said that incidents like this are very rare and that severe punishment will be imposed on any member of staff neglecting his duties.

[newswatcher]

So what WAS the cause?

[411A]

Don't know about now, but in years past had an occasion on a JED-DHA-KHI flight where there was a tech delay in JED and the cabin crew decided (all on their own) that considering this delay, they would be out of duty hours upon arrival in KHI, so they walked off the flight, without telling the Captain. Another crew was dispatched from JED and the flight departed, four hours late.
Pity the "walkoff" CC could not properly figure their allowed duty time (mis-read manual) and were ALL sent packing...as in sacked.

And so they should have been...:rolleyes:

Tech crew, on the other hand, CAN read the manual and so cannot recall any problems with them....and was in JED for a long time.

[ReadMyACARS]

Who knows what the cause was, who cares, it is more important in Saudi to remind peple what the punishment is, not fix the problem.

[18-Wheeler]

Ah, the Saudia myth of "the best on-time departures of any airline in the world".
The real reason is because the crews allow up to half an hour - or more - for the off-blocks time. They are no better than any other airline on average and I suspect somewhat worse than average ...

[mutt]

The real reason is because the crews allow up to half an hour - or more - for the off-blocks time

I always thought that the ACARS system recorded block-out/in times based on the parking brake, surely this makes it pretty hard to cheat!


Mutt.

[18-Wheeler]

I don't know about the ACARS ones, but the steam-driven ones certainly use creative accounting.

[TAT Probe]

I wonder what kind of Mack Truck 18-wheeler drives? The rest of us have ACARS, and it is difficult to cheat, unless the park-brake is released early to show a block-out before the actual event.

Anyway, I think this is a more serious matter, as the crew were apparently penalized for insisting on a baggage reconciliation after some passengers had deplaned themselves in Karachi.

For whatever reason, this led to a confrontation and standoff with ground staff, and a long delay before the aircraft finally left.

Maybe in a Union environment, the crew would have been better able to explain their safety concerns about unaccompanied baggage, etc. As it is, a dangerous message has been sent. It also seems ironic that this happened in that oasis of Peace and Tranquillity, OPKC!:eek:

[Flying Boat]

After living in Saudi for 71/2 years & flying a bit with Saudia, I noticed if there was to be more than a 30 mins delay they would "rechedule" the flights.
Then these flights would leave 'on-time'.

[saudipc-9]

FB,
Same as you I have never been on a Saudia flight which left on time. It's the typical Saudi way of fixing the books so that it looks good. Never mind the rust just paint over it.:rolleyes:

[18-Wheeler]

What aeroplane do I fly?
The user name should make it blindingly obvious.