Air Crew Quarantine
 

I have to start with the fact it is a Danny article but sometimes you just have to sigh. Remember this is a rumour network etc etc.

If/When this happens it will be the true end. Who would be willing to put their hand up to sit around the Hedland for the rest of their lives?

Any international airlines would stop asap unless they can do a shuttle from BKK/NRT.

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3118657/hong-kong-fourth-wave-airline-sector-braces

What do you mean by "rest of their lives"?

From your cockpit, to the bus, to the hotel room, and then the reverse, forever.
They better remove your shoelaces..

Ask any unemployed pilot they’d do it

Oasis

Don't worry, RMs don't have laces :ok:

One trip a month. Rest of time spent in a room are extra days days off.
Just subtract form allotted leave.
How long does one expect to be kept on staff to be paid for no work?

Walkingthedog

You are correct, most would if it was their home country. Not many would pack up lives overseas to move to another country to be locked up again. Just ask anyone departing the ME3 by choice. If it was to happen where does that leave the current pilot base? Unless CX was to create a new entity to operate flights they are stuck.

Corona to answer your question how long would it take for you to go insane when you don't see your family and all you do is operate to a hotel and back? Other countries have the same policy but with home quarantine. Release at 14 days or when you operate next and once you operate you go back to the same 14 day routine. It would drive any sane man insane, let alone those living here.

LUDACRIS when aircrew followed safety guidelines to be quarantined forever while medical staff coming face to face contact with covid patients are free to roam after shift!!!!!!!? :*

Here is the full article in the South Commie Morning Post, for those who doesn’t have the luxury of a subscription exclusive | Hong Kong fourth wave: airline sector braces for impact as city mulls 14-day quarantine for aircrew amid coronavirus pandemic

• The move, which one source worries could ‘kill’ the industry, would end a long-standing exemption enjoyed by airlines
• Cathay Pacific said to be pushing back hard on proposal, though it is unclear to what effect

Hong Kong is mulling plans to order all arriving aircrews to quarantine in a hotel for two weeks in response to a recent coronavirus outbreak, a move that would end a long-standing exemption and present the embattled aviation industry with a fresh crisis.According to three sources familiar with the plan, the government is considering ordering pilots and cabin crew, including local staff, to quarantine in a hotel if they stay in Hong Kong for more than two hours.

Another source said the plan could “kill” the airline industry if it proceeds, while a separate insider said aircrew would also be subject to repeated testing.

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default...70_154050.jpeg
Sources fear forcing airline crew members to quarantine will spell the death of the industry.

Cathay Pacific Airways
is understood to be pushing back hard against the proposal, but it is unclear what success it would have.Aircrew are at greater risk of carrying the virus, despite wearing protective equipment, given they are interacting with passengers and flying abroad, yet they have been exempted from quarantine orders that apply to the general public.

All foreign aircrew are currently required to take designated transport to hotels, isolate in their rooms throughout their stay and pass a Covid-19 test before flying in. Local aircrew are tested on arrival in Hong Kong and have to stay in a hotel for 24 hours while waiting for their results.

Also curious what's the current arrangement for pilots working in mainland China. Any idea?

What about quarantining medical staff after every shift since they are the ones face to face contact with covid patients?

If they hadn't let all the based pax crew expire they could have simply used them to keep the show on the road until Hong Kong is through the worst of this wave and the restrictions. But they didn't think and let them all expire 🤦‍♂️ If this goes ahead seems like the only way for goods to get in and out will be with foreign airlines doing turnarounds into the city, massive own goal by the government.

carolknows

Several friends working there in Mainland. All have been vaccinated with China vaccine. Mandatory 14 day quarantine for high risk areas like UK, SA and America. 7 days for anywhere else outside of China unless it’s a 2 hour turn on the airplane then just a test upon arrival and 24 hour quarantine after results for short haul cities like Singapore and KL.

This is more logical, basing on the severity of countries - why can't we do that for incoming pax and aircrew?
Also, would you rather lose your job or get Sinovac? Asking for fun

I cant see an issue about quarantine in the headland. But it could be the panda hotel in Tseun wan. Now that would suck. And before you laugh, that is the go to hotel for Korean airways crews, at least pre pandemic. Those not working could at least help out, but providing moral support to families of those serving quarantine .

Singapore is currently in the process of vaccinating aircrew and will be relaxing testing requirements for those who have had the jab. More frequent testing has been introduced for crew arriving from high risk countries with self isolation for 7 days, but no quarantine yet.

https://www.caas.gov.sg/who-we-are/n...g-of-air-crew/

Covid19
 

If HKG based crew is required to be quarantined after a duty, then they should be free to go out during their layover, subject to local government laws. There is no point of quarantining the crews in both places.

carolknows

Great point.

Not really as medical staff are wearing full PPE.
Also people die if we run short of medical staff .
Nobody wants to be in quarantine but If rather be locked up than have our hardworking medical teams out of the front line.

They may be wearing full PPE but are by definition in daily contact with patients affected by a highly contagious virus. Pilots (especially flying freight) only share a flight deck with other pilots (who follow the same strict protocols and are tested at least once a week as well). No cabin crew, no passengers (what are those again?)

Interaction with people in other countries is minimal as we’re confined to our rooms, the crew transport is supposedly disinfected and we of course wear masks during the airplane-hotel transit. Home, cockpit, hotel room confinement, cockpit, testing on arrival, isolation until test result comes back negative. Rinse and repeat.

Recognising that medical professionals are precious at this time, they are allowed to return home after a shift despite a certain amount of risk to the public, and rightly so; they are critical at this juncture and their mental health must also be taken unto account.

Assuming we are also necessary to move goods, medical gear, reagents and vaccines into and out of Hong Kong then we should be treated similarly. Of course no-one says medical personnel shouldn’t be allowed to go home, but then why can’t we? Objectively the risk is higher for those treating Covid patients.

It looks like the original article has been modified from All Aircrew to Long Haul layover flights only. The risk of any crew member is going to be similar no matter what the length of the flight especially those dealing directly with passenger. Maybe a few companies have had a word with the government about turn around flight potential.

There really is a simple solution , on a voluntary basis the company places all pilots and families on say a 3 month temp basing in their home country
they then fly SYD - HKG , immediately get placed in a quarantine hotel at the airport or the Headland take min rest and fly out again .
This is all becoming an issue , Governments worldwide should have stopped all flights as soon as this virus became an issue at least for a couple of months
‘and this pandemic would have been much better contained . But continuing to allow flights from India to arrive along with several other high risk countries
was a massive mistake which everyone is now paying for . Having said that the infection numbers in HK are very low when compared to the USA UK and EU
To require freighter crews to quarantine shows a total lack of understanding of how that operation works

yes, freighter crew
 

Yes, main dog nailed it.
Freighter Crews are different. Plus the toilet they will use on the flight is not shared with passengers because there aren't any.

Trying to find a silver lining to all this madness.

If they do bring in this insane quarantine requirement, won't it mean that, because so many crews will be spending so much time in quarantine, that many many more crews will actually be required than is required at the moment, meaning there is less chance of the lay offs that some people have mentioned may be coming? Obviously I know there's other relevant stuff here, (mostly training onto a different type which would be practically impossible now, huge costs etc etc). I'm probably way off the mark, just throwing it out there. Maybe it saves a few jobs.......

Anyway, silver linings are becoming harder to find. I might just give up.

Bueno Hombre

Hong Kong Government monitoring all our posts, Knock Knock anyone qualified and alert in there ?

Bueno Hombre

Ever heard of horse grooms, “flying spanners” and curators? It’s quite evident you know nada about freighter flying, mi bello hombre :ok:

And ever more numbers of PX’ing crew.

Curators and horse grooms are sometimes carried, that’s true, but it’s perhaps one flight out of ten. If that. So we don’t accept shipments that require them to be boarded, or change protocol in that case.

I’m pretty sure engineers when returning to HK, and for sure PXing crew, are under the same testing/holding regime as we are. Again, the risk factor is objectively much smaller.

And most Airbus flights aren’t carrying cabin crew or pax either.

Rarely carry vets. Groomsmen yes. In fact the only time I’ve seen a vet on board was for stud animals or a consignment of giraffes. !

Baby giraffes. Vet stayed next to them throughout. In a sort of modified horse box thing.
We got a good stiff talking to about taxiing speeds, cornering and braking. !!!

Globocnik

so he wasn’t too impressed with your AB4 quick exit on j5?

Oasis

- no longer required under POS18 hourly pay!

Globocnik

dammit. Was really hoping you’d say up their neighbour’s arse just like Carrie’s current experts!!! Hat /coat? On me way.

Utterly tenuous connection but
 

Many years ago hovvering in the mid levels (altitudes not apartments) in the Gulf between Bombay (it was then) and Sharjah transporting shoats in the lead up to Eidh al-Fitr we carried herdsmen / boys to look after the animals. Maybe they were not all as assiduous in their tasks and one of the little blighters found his way to the flight deck and appeared just by my left leg (FE in those days).
i tapped the very junior FO on the shoulder and informed him “there’s a guy here reckons he could do your job better”. As Tim looked around I swear the animal bleated on cue! Much chortling ensued. That very young yet champion aerobatic pilot was none other than Tim Barnby who went on some years later to “wrestle” A Virgin A340 on to the Heathrow Tarmac with one set of MLG stuck up. Well done by then Captain Tim!

DessertRat

damn! You’re right..

old habits die hard..

Starbear

you didn’t call him up to say they the sheep would’ve done a better job?

Back to the proposed quarantine coming in.....

If the government were not sure all they have to do is check our "famous" freighter BTC's social media and they'll have their ammo. Can this bloke please put down the camera phone! Lands from a flight, off to a big party mixing with other fleets & crews and then the next day back flying! No masks, No distancing and certainly not within Medical Surveillance whilst parts of HKG and perhaps some of his followers are being locked down in Jordan ect

Wouldn't surprise me if SCMP journo DL follows him and all thousand or so locals who now believe that daft article. Bravo!

If this is true then he should be fired, immediately.

A quick look and yes it's true.

Also is there any truth in a certain Tung Chung hotel (not hedland) being booked out for crew?

If you're really concerned about the threat this poses to our operation and livelihood, use the Speak Up platform (but you'll probably find you are very mistaken).