why is moral so low within airline companies?
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why is moral so low within airline companies?
Ok my question is in the title but why? From my own experience and many friends why do so many airlines treat us like a number and a robot
My recent experience was awful I can't mention the airline but they had no morals and the pay was dire for the way they thought they could treat us. I have only ever heard good things about BA and maybe britannia but no other airline. High staff turnover in many airlines yet for some strange reason I still want to work in the industry.
My recent experience was awful I can't mention the airline but they had no morals and the pay was dire for the way they thought they could treat us. I have only ever heard good things about BA and maybe britannia but no other airline. High staff turnover in many airlines yet for some strange reason I still want to work in the industry.
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SkyChick2003,
There is an old saying about this industry,
When its Good, Its GREAT,
But when its Bad, Its TERRIBLE.
There are alot of reasons why moral may be low in an airline: from my own humble experience one of those at the moment is 'Change' for changes' sake.
Take TCX/BY-TUI/Airtours they are all going through massive corporate changes and each of these has an impact on the crew/staff.
One airline has introduced a revised half meal / half no-meal service last summer and put a huge strain on crews' time and patience as certain flights became a debarcle because of a lack of back office support. If you were unlucky to have 3 or 4 such flights on the run you easily began to dread going in to work.
The overall issue though is that the industry has been tightening its belt, cutting costs, re-inventing names, re-branding, new uniforms for nearly 3 years......all of this means change.
People naturally need time to adjust to changes and when all of them happen simultaneously it can seem that the whole show is going to pot. Add a sprinkling of incredibly rude passengers who have no idea what subliminal pressures crew are under and bang you have an airline is moaning constantly.
This industry is great and you should contiue to persue your career reagardless of all of that but I think that a lot of crew have been through a tough couple of years and are naturally a little cheesed off now thats all. I'm sure in a few months thnigs will be rosey again!!
Cheers
There is an old saying about this industry,
When its Good, Its GREAT,
But when its Bad, Its TERRIBLE.
There are alot of reasons why moral may be low in an airline: from my own humble experience one of those at the moment is 'Change' for changes' sake.
Take TCX/BY-TUI/Airtours they are all going through massive corporate changes and each of these has an impact on the crew/staff.
One airline has introduced a revised half meal / half no-meal service last summer and put a huge strain on crews' time and patience as certain flights became a debarcle because of a lack of back office support. If you were unlucky to have 3 or 4 such flights on the run you easily began to dread going in to work.
The overall issue though is that the industry has been tightening its belt, cutting costs, re-inventing names, re-branding, new uniforms for nearly 3 years......all of this means change.
People naturally need time to adjust to changes and when all of them happen simultaneously it can seem that the whole show is going to pot. Add a sprinkling of incredibly rude passengers who have no idea what subliminal pressures crew are under and bang you have an airline is moaning constantly.
This industry is great and you should contiue to persue your career reagardless of all of that but I think that a lot of crew have been through a tough couple of years and are naturally a little cheesed off now thats all. I'm sure in a few months thnigs will be rosey again!!
Cheers
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Well Skychick!. I do very much agree - not much fun in aviation anymore. It is correct that nomally is it fun when the good times are there and vice versa - but this time. I think the industri has taken a turn to the worse for good. I do not think that we as aviators will ever be able to regain what has been lost for the past 2-3 years. As I say to my self these days: only 24 years to go before retirement. Cheers.
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Westjet
It's not all bad. Westjet staff have excellent morale. It's a really upbeat company and part of the appeal is their profit sharing plan.
P.S. I don't work for them, either, just SLF on a few of their flights.
P.S. I don't work for them, either, just SLF on a few of their flights.
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Workers get screwed and backstabbed by upper management who less and less these days rub shoulders with frontline workers who are the ones who really make or break the airline. They refuse to pay agreed amounts for bonus for achieving good profits - this causes alot of really cheesed off workers who then lose loyalty to their company. In the end its up to the individual. You are going to make it or break it yourself with your attitude. It is what you make out of it.
For example many people remain very happy and loyal working for a low paying regional airline but everyone is so friendly and morale is so high they stay. Big companies unfortunatly lose it!!!
For example many people remain very happy and loyal working for a low paying regional airline but everyone is so friendly and morale is so high they stay. Big companies unfortunatly lose it!!!
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I know that its not the ideal industry to be in sometimes, but then what is.
I absolutely love my job, and sure the back room politics at my airline are enough to drive anybody up the wall. But I go in, check in with a smile on my face..leave my problems on the ground and ignore what is going on in the back room.
I do the job that I love, have a great deal of fun whilst at work, but dont take anything too seriously.
If anyone is considering flying as a career..DO IT..I, personally was only doing it for a year...but here I am still doing it, MANY years later! Have seen SO many changes, but again what industry doesn't. And where else are you paid to sit on a beach for a few days, whilst its blowing a gale at home, or being paid to take a day trip to Rome, Athens or Edinburgh etc etc...FABULOUS.
Lets start a positive thread...Why do we get up at 0330 on a Saturday morning (me this morning) to fly across Europe for 9 hours!! Answer, love of the job and safe in the knowledge that no two days are ever the same :-)
Happy and Safe Flying!
I absolutely love my job, and sure the back room politics at my airline are enough to drive anybody up the wall. But I go in, check in with a smile on my face..leave my problems on the ground and ignore what is going on in the back room.
I do the job that I love, have a great deal of fun whilst at work, but dont take anything too seriously.
If anyone is considering flying as a career..DO IT..I, personally was only doing it for a year...but here I am still doing it, MANY years later! Have seen SO many changes, but again what industry doesn't. And where else are you paid to sit on a beach for a few days, whilst its blowing a gale at home, or being paid to take a day trip to Rome, Athens or Edinburgh etc etc...FABULOUS.
Lets start a positive thread...Why do we get up at 0330 on a Saturday morning (me this morning) to fly across Europe for 9 hours!! Answer, love of the job and safe in the knowledge that no two days are ever the same :-)
Happy and Safe Flying!
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The main reason in my opinion is that we compare ourselves with other carriers,and see what they have and we dont...and we complain!
unless companies treat you bad (like Qatar Airways) we should be happy with what we have.
unless companies treat you bad (like Qatar Airways) we should be happy with what we have.
Paxing All Over The World
Speaking as Pax ... having worked in many fields other than airlines, I can tell you that the words:
may be (and are) applied to any other industry!
Across 25 years in telecommunications, mostly as freelance consultant, I have been in: Retail; local govt; finance; pharmaceuticals; utilities; freight (air + sea) and others. Sadly, everyone now feels that:
applies to them. The problem is that - it probably does. 
Editing later to add this comment:
Does this sound familiar? It is on BBC news today regarding the Disney corporation and the words are from a nephew of Walt, who has just resigned from the board.
There is an old saying about this industry,
When its Good, Its GREAT,
But when its Bad, Its TERRIBLE.
When its Good, Its GREAT,
But when its Bad, Its TERRIBLE.
Across 25 years in telecommunications, mostly as freelance consultant, I have been in: Retail; local govt; finance; pharmaceuticals; utilities; freight (air + sea) and others. Sadly, everyone now feels that:
Workers get screwed and backstabbed by upper management who less and less these days rub shoulders with frontline workers who are the ones who really make or break the airline.
Editing later to add this comment:
He bemoaned what he characterised as the "rapacious, soul-less" corporate culture introduced by Mr Eisner, under which long-term public trust and affection had been sacrificed for the sake of short-term financial gain.
Last edited by PAXboy; 1st Dec 2003 at 23:36.
