Commuting help/advice
That would be a great solution to the issue.
However it seems like the company are content with letting crew leave and instead deal with an increase in the training burden (and cost). They save money on one hand and spend it on the other.
They are doing their best to treat VA staff as badly as possibly so they can maximise their return. Unfortunately it’s going to result in a very disengaged/angry and transient pilot body which doesn’t benefit anyone. If a number of experienced crew continue to leave, they are going to face issues with future training and expansion.
However it seems like the company are content with letting crew leave and instead deal with an increase in the training burden (and cost). They save money on one hand and spend it on the other.
They are doing their best to treat VA staff as badly as possibly so they can maximise their return. Unfortunately it’s going to result in a very disengaged/angry and transient pilot body which doesn’t benefit anyone. If a number of experienced crew continue to leave, they are going to face issues with future training and expansion.
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You need a CP that actually gives two ****s about the 1000 people below them for a start. I assume that is not the case here. Sounds like the Virgin Flight Ops department will never get a clean out. Need to wait for the next generation to takeover, so about 20 years. Flight Ops should have been wiped clean in 2020. Opportunity lost. Big price on getting that bit wrong in the long run. But that won't be Bains problem then will it.
PE are only interested in the here and now. Executives and Consultants watching those margins super closely and getting ready for the big fat whopping payday in the coming years. Meanwhile poor folks running the front line can't even get five cents. They are doing the hard work for the peeps up the top who will rake in tens of millions each when that day comes.
PE are only interested in the here and now. Executives and Consultants watching those margins super closely and getting ready for the big fat whopping payday in the coming years. Meanwhile poor folks running the front line can't even get five cents. They are doing the hard work for the peeps up the top who will rake in tens of millions each when that day comes.
With reference to VA crew resourcing and commuting it has to said that at this time the Company has descended into an utter abyss of dysfunction and chaos with regards to Flight (and Cabin) Crew resourcing. Starting with rostering and the so-called 'bidding' system, this has ceased to function in any meaningful way for many crew. Commuters bid for 2/3/4 day trips and get single day trips, base residents bid for day trips and get the nights away they don't really want. Some crew are flogged with 80+ hour rosters, whilst others sit around on 45 hours. The Sabre rostering component is so ancient it is no longer supported and when problems arise, unassigned duties are manually dropped into rosters with no reference to bids. Some of the resulting rosters produced are what could charitably referred to as 'fantasy' rosters with duties that run to 15 minutes under the legal limit. On top of that crew now have to contend with the rostering of Dark (Ghost) flights that are rostered but only flown if schedule recovery dictates, so it turns into a kind of Airport Reserve. As a result the vast majority of crew are now 'self managing' their rosters with 'personal roster adjustments' compounding the problems that crewing have to deal with on the day. This results in continual flight cancellations thus making commuting problematic. Of course if a commuter can't get to his / her base for duty guess what action they take 
. On top of all that there are still significant numbers of crew with Atlas / Qantas etc. start dates and, boy oh boy will they sure burn every minute of personal leave they have before leaving. It has come to this because of the epic failure of management to adequately manage crew resources and deliver the Crew Management software - a project that has been bumbling along for years now with no end in sight. The current EA was agreed to on the assumption this system would be implemented shortly thereafter. Well it is nowhere to be seen and currently there is a mishmash of previous EA / current EA rules. This is the second catastrophic attempt at replacing the current string, glue and paperclips system after a 2+ year project with Jeppesen disappeared up its own arsehole in 2019. The company has reached the end of its inactive pilot list, as many on that list just have better places to be. Despite an email from the Dear Leader along the lines of 'you are all very naughty boys' almost no one has any f_cks left to give. Some are making Jetstar applications, a few have even resigned to go to Bonza!!!!!
I won't even get started on the vacuous social-engineering sheltered workshop crap that rains down down daily but so far the only mitigating factor in all this is that Q / J have been slightly worse in public perception.
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. On top of all that there are still significant numbers of crew with Atlas / Qantas etc. start dates and, boy oh boy will they sure burn every minute of personal leave they have before leaving. It has come to this because of the epic failure of management to adequately manage crew resources and deliver the Crew Management software - a project that has been bumbling along for years now with no end in sight. The current EA was agreed to on the assumption this system would be implemented shortly thereafter. Well it is nowhere to be seen and currently there is a mishmash of previous EA / current EA rules. This is the second catastrophic attempt at replacing the current string, glue and paperclips system after a 2+ year project with Jeppesen disappeared up its own arsehole in 2019. The company has reached the end of its inactive pilot list, as many on that list just have better places to be. Despite an email from the Dear Leader along the lines of 'you are all very naughty boys' almost no one has any f_cks left to give. Some are making Jetstar applications, a few have even resigned to go to Bonza!!!!! I won't even get started on the vacuous social-engineering sheltered workshop crap that rains down down daily but so far the only mitigating factor in all this is that Q / J have been slightly worse in public perception.-
I have done it for many years and tried many different options - here’s my 2 cents…
Get a place or room of your own so your roster bids don’t become all about avoiding nights in your base and can be more focussed on lifestyle🤪 and you don’t have to stress about booking/ cancelling hotels.
Accept that there is a cost to commuting and budget accordingly.
Accept that you will lose at least one day off per work period to travelling. Don’t try cutting it too fine travelling to work.
Make the most of your time in your base rather than moping around wishing you were at home.
Get a place or room of your own so your roster bids don’t become all about avoiding nights in your base and can be more focussed on lifestyle🤪 and you don’t have to stress about booking/ cancelling hotels.
Accept that there is a cost to commuting and budget accordingly.
Accept that you will lose at least one day off per work period to travelling. Don’t try cutting it too fine travelling to work.
Make the most of your time in your base rather than moping around wishing you were at home.
Good luck!
Thread Starter
OK, at risk of dragging up what is now an old thread (it has honestly taken me this long to get back here)...
I did want to thank all of you who have offered insight or suggestions/advice.
I don't really use PPRuNe any more, but thought to ask this question here, and really did not know what to expect - everything from cynical wit to actual advice to maybe thinly veiled abuse! I also notice another similar question has since been asked.
To be clear, I do not expect the company to "bend over backwards" or anything of that nature. Those of you suggesting that are either "lazy reading", or (more likely) seizing some sort of perceived opportunity in my question, to air out your own chip or grievance. Whatever.
But for the genuine offers of helpful advice (even if it is "don't do it!") - if it is genuine, thanks again.
Yes, hopefully the new CMS (when it arrives!) will make things easier.
Slice, your post made me smile I must say.
The jury is certainly still out on whether it was a smart decision to come back to this...
I did want to thank all of you who have offered insight or suggestions/advice.
I don't really use PPRuNe any more, but thought to ask this question here, and really did not know what to expect - everything from cynical wit to actual advice to maybe thinly veiled abuse! I also notice another similar question has since been asked.
To be clear, I do not expect the company to "bend over backwards" or anything of that nature. Those of you suggesting that are either "lazy reading", or (more likely) seizing some sort of perceived opportunity in my question, to air out your own chip or grievance. Whatever.
But for the genuine offers of helpful advice (even if it is "don't do it!") - if it is genuine, thanks again.
Yes, hopefully the new CMS (when it arrives!) will make things easier.
Slice, your post made me smile I must say.
The jury is certainly still out on whether it was a smart decision to come back to this...
