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QR LGW Flights- No British Crew!

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Old 1st Feb 2005, 14:42
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Aluminum Tubing Inspector
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QR LGW Flights- No British Crew!

Having just spent some time in the UK on business and spent 3 nights at the same hotel as the QR crew in LGW, the three crews that came in did not include any Brits!?

Maybe because they have all left, but it's pretty shabby really, considering they do at least try to have a language apeaker on the other routes.

Oh, and for the doubters, I did speak with the crew...this is not fiction at all!

Still, good to see, as always they are putting on a brave face and smiling regardless of the pressure they are under.

Cheers

HR
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Old 1st Feb 2005, 17:33
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What?... Nobody else speaks english in QR except the Brits?
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Old 1st Feb 2005, 19:17
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Kumul,

You are a tad lost here mate.

I think you get my drift or maybe you are one of those people who are not British but speak perfect english?

Allow me to explain...

It is "usually" standard to have a British crew member onboard a London flight. Not just with QR, but other airlines like EK, GF etc...well at least in the good old days...

Same if it is a BKK flight you will have a Thai speaker...or is that too difficult to imagine?

And yes there are many nationalities who speak excellent English, just as I can speak French and Russian, but I do not believe for one minute that I can speak it better than the nationals.





Cheers

HR
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Old 2nd Feb 2005, 09:21
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I flew once on the QR LGW with British CSD - MM?
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Old 2nd Feb 2005, 10:57
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Many of the newsreaders I see in the BEeb TV news are of Srilankan/Indian and many other nationalities.

In my part of the world , we get to see a lot of experts on TV commentating on matters cricket, may of whom former ex cricketers from UK, puccah british without a doubt - but sorry to say their English is far from puccah! Many of their Asian counterparts working along side seem to do a better job of it!

Apparently the Beeb seems to agree as far as the news seems to be concerned!

HR- By the way Vaughan's predcessor was brn in Chennai, India of Indian parents! He didnt seem to have done a bad job of captaining a team full of locals - did he?
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Old 2nd Feb 2005, 11:36
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Well, I just don't know what to say about this one! Maybe nothing is best...
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Old 2nd Feb 2005, 12:13
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Left Coaster, yes even I agree...it was started as a mere observation and is already heading in the wrong direction.

It was started by someone who has worked with multi national crew for many, many years and is by no means an attack on anyone regarding their English language capabilities.

EK, when they started the LGW routes, the tried to have a Brit in each class.

However, they went to DAC for long enough without any Bengali speakers.

Ok, I will rephrase this: Do you feel it is better to have a native language speaker on board or is there actually no real need?

RSO Man: Nobody is disputing other nationalities English speaking abilities...as for Cricket, sorry, never watch the game!

Maybe A300 Man or BKK Layover can comment.

Cheers

HR
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Old 2nd Feb 2005, 13:06
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lots of comments from folks who don't understand the post...yes it seems odd no British crew on a london flight...most airlines here strive to have at least one or two crewmembers that are natives of the destination..makes people feel more comfortable as they travel home...they are called "language speakers" although many of the crew regardless of nationality might speak the destination local language fluently, it is nice for pax to have "one of their own" to relate to when flying...particularly in the case of nervous flyers....
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Old 2nd Feb 2005, 13:26
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What Tripe!

In the modern world of globalisation and multiculturalism, having to have a "Native" crew member on board is ridiculous. If people are so worried about it then change airlines to their "native" carrier.

A lot of the locals in this part of the world in the professional environment are required to reach an extremely strict standard of English.

And lets face it, it is an Middle Eastern Airline and I would only expect to be flying with their crews!

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Old 2nd Feb 2005, 14:02
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Cool

Homesick Rae

It's the same at EK. The last few UK flights I've done I'm the only native English speaker on board and I'm sat the other side of the flight deck door! Yet you'll find 3 UK crew on a BOM or KHI who can't speak a word of Hindi or Urdu.

Rsoman

Don't get too excited. The BBC's 'World' service you see is tailor-made for the Asia/Asian sub-continent viewer and on the domestic services, the high number of asian presenters was as a result of political pressure which, on the home front has been it's demise with the UK viewing public as a primary source of News.
As for 'commenting on the commentators', unfortunately you are not a native English speaker therefore some of your understanding of the finer workings of dialectual and colloquial English may not be exactly 'puccah'.
Many of England's finest cricketers such as Sir Fred Trueman, Boycott, Botham, Lloyd come from the Provinces and native English speakers understand them perfectly. Just wait until Vaughan, Hoggard, Harmison,Freddie Flintoff and others give up the 'leather and willow' to commentate.Then you will have a problem.

GLOC

You're a prat.

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Old 2nd Feb 2005, 15:25
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GLOC

having to have a "Native" crew member on board is ridiculous We employ Iranian Flight Attendants to operate flights to Iran and only Iran. They have 20 days OFF per month and zero layovers! The airline accepts this as there is a very real need to have Farsi speakers on-board the aircraft.

Mutt.
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Old 2nd Feb 2005, 20:55
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Pontious, Back in your box! And Mutt....

I too fly in this part of the sandpit and have been for 10 years, so the concept of locals on particular sectors is not new to me!

The point I am referring to is the originators concern that there is no "Brit" pilots (in this case "native" to the UK) or perhaps cabin crew member on a UK sector on a Middle East Airline! And why should there be, what language do you speak up there???

Quote from Pontious:

"Maybe because they have all left, but it's pretty shabby really, considering they do at least try to have a language apeaker on the other routes."

If I am not mistaken...we are all "language" speakers!

In addition to your example when flying to Iran, Emirates and most airlines in this region will do its best to ensure a cross section of cabin crews to cater for the local content on board, which is very understandable, but even in this case there is no need for the flight deck to be Farsi speaking on a trip to Tehran, I have managed to communcate with them quite effectively for the past 6 years!???


Last edited by GLOC; 2nd Feb 2005 at 22:05.
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Old 2nd Feb 2005, 21:19
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Gloc:

The quote was from me NOT Pontious and I am referring particularly to Cabin Crew here not Flight Deck!

The best example I can give is: where on a flight with EK to DAC via KHI, there were no Bengali speakers and we had 4 deportees going to DAC.

When we landed in KHI these guys were terrified as they did not know what was happening and nobody could speak their language. The flight was delayed until we somehow managed to reassure them using other pax to explain.

No need for Bengali speakers then???

It does not matter the nationality or route , my thread is a generalisation and I used recent experience as an example.

It is you that I think should get back in your box!

Cheers

HR
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Old 2nd Feb 2005, 22:04
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Homesick

You are 100% correct, it was you and not Pontious so a very small apology to Pontious, after all he did lower the tone with his attempt at slagging. I will not edit my post I will simply take it like a man!

Now that you have clarified the fact that we are talking cabin crew then, yes I have to agree with you no end. It is essential for safety and service that there is a cross pollenisation of cultures and languages on international sectors.
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Old 3rd Feb 2005, 09:46
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HR

Please distinguish between no ENGLISH speakers and no Britishers on a flight. As long as the crew can speak English fluently, what is the problem?

Your DAC example is a different issue if as you said there were no local language speakers (native or otherwise) at all on board.
In my first QR flight which was ex TRV, I had this wonderful announcement that "THIS CREW SPEAKS BESIDES ENGLISH AND ARABIC, FRENCH, THAI AND HINDI". Now that is a real problem -nearly half the pax could understand only the local language(and for the uninitiated HINDI is not the native language for the whole of the subcontinent!). In case of emergencies , such situations can be much more disastrous than a flight to LGW staffed with Non British English speakers! "


I echo GLOC- All means have someone who speak the local language fluently But to insist that he/she should be "native" as well is carrying things too far ! May be the airlines can carry "Radio Five Live " or any of the countless others of its ilk in the IFE to satisfy those who crave the "finer workings of dialectual and colloquial English" as Pontious so eloquently put it.
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Old 3rd Feb 2005, 16:53
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Cool

To Homesick Rae

A very big 'Ta,Love!'


To Rsoman

NO-ONE can speak The Queen's English like an Englishman or Englishwoman. Being a "Breetish Passport Hulda" doesn't mean you are automatically a fluent English speaker.


To GLOC

And a very small 'Shukrahn' for your very small apology. I fear you may have your knickers in a twist over the originators original point. His concerns were about the lack of native English CABIN CREW not FLIGHT DECK but as always, stereotypical flight deck assuming it's about them.....I think you've been out in the sand too long. And I didn't attempt a 'slagging'. I succeeded.


To InFlight Service Heads all around the MidEast.

Try to follow PIA's lead and on a particular service have at least some Natives from the country you are operating to.

Edited due to sexual inaccurracies. A thousand apologies, Rae.


Last edited by Pontious; 4th Feb 2005 at 00:07.
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Old 3rd Feb 2005, 18:48
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Aluminum Tubing Inspector
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Pontious...

Ahem...her is a his...

Cheers

HR
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Old 6th Feb 2005, 10:59
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There probably werent any UK/Irish language speakers on your flight as there are hardly any left....they dont like working for a strict Stallinist regime!
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Old 11th Feb 2005, 09:10
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Post for Gods sake

Its like bashing your head against a brick wall!


It has always been customary to have several native Cabin crew on board when flying to/from the countries an airline services.

No English natives on a UK flight is outrageous.
Pax expect there to be!
And will vote with there feet.
Choice is on the way Middle East... Stand by.
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Old 11th Feb 2005, 10:02
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Grrr

Dear home sick ray it’s a matter of fact that you are not with QR any more, therefore your information isn’t reliable. I was flying with native English speakers couple of times to LGW last time I flew with British and Australian girls to LGW. So you are just a layer and endangering our all position in QR. Get your head free of QR and concentrate on your present job.
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