Good news on the horizon with Gulf Air
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Bahrain
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Costalivin,
This schooling policy is a left over from the good old overseas days when schooling facilities did not exist in this part of the world. Since then most international companies have updated there policies, but I think some are stuck in a convenient self inflicted time warp!
This schooling policy is a left over from the good old overseas days when schooling facilities did not exist in this part of the world. Since then most international companies have updated there policies, but I think some are stuck in a convenient self inflicted time warp!
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Thailand
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Tic, you are wrong
I was very disappointed to see that letter coming from Scott on Aims about ``suspicious sickness``. There are some reasons why the rate of sickness has gone up lately. The Canadians are trying to make the utilisation of crews and aircrafts as efficient as possible and I think we've seen a change since they joined. But they are forgetting something extremely important: human factor. I see 2 reasons that Scott should have thought of before sending that, HA, non-management skills, type of letter (please pilots, don't call sick because it is wrong):
1- The mixing of day flying and night flying on several consecutive days is a killer. I've seen rosters like this last month:
Day1:BAH-KWI-BAH-DXB-BAH
Day2:BAH-BKK-KUL
Day3:KUL-BKK-BAH
Day4:BAH-BOM-BAH
Day5:BAH-BOM-BAH
Day6:BAH-BOM-BAH
Day7:BAH-BKK-KUL
Day8:KUL-BKK-BAH
This was rostered without any days off or non-ops days in between. Just rest averaging between 12 and 24 hrs between each days. This is the worst, transferring from day to night flying ang vice versa with 24 hrs rest. How can you expect someone to stay alert and healthy with such an 11 days stretch. If the rest of the month is OFF you have time to rest but it is not the case in GF. 8 days OFF max per calendar month and this, even if you are over 75hrs. They will fill the blank spots with standbys.
2- The lack of preferential bidding
Solution:
1- Organize the rosters in a fashion that we fly the same amount of monthly hours but with more days to rest. I mean creating more productive blocks. This should come naturally with giving more than 8 days OFF a month when the 75hrs flying limit is reached. That means no standby days on a overtimed rosters. I understand this solution may be difficult to achieve considering our destinations network but there is definitely space for improvement.
2- Preferential bidding system. Some guys want to spend the most of their time down route (everybody have their preferences), somes guys want to be home with the family as much as possible. By exemple, give me that BAH-BKK-KUL (23hrs rest) KUL-BKK-BAH block 5 times in the months and I will be the happiest pilots on earth. Give it to half of the guys I know and they will be sad and more subject to call in sick. Bottom of the line, make pilots happy by allowing them to choose the flight they find suitable for their lifestyle and your rate of sickness will go down. That ``Come on guys, stop calling in sick because it is bad`` wont work for sure.
Conclusion:
Your rate of sickness will remain the same as long as you make your pilots fly above 75 hrs a month with 8 days OFF only AND without allowing them to fly the blocks they prefer. This is basic management. Making more productive blocks doesn't imply exhorbiting cost and a preferential biding system would be a good investment. There is a limit when you cannot press the lemon anymore and GF have just reached it. We are human and are responsible for several hundred lives a day. We need to be in a good physical and mental state when we drive those airplanes. Even if I don't cough or don't have a fever. that doesn't meen I am fit to fly an airplane. Flying 90 hrs per month (alternating between day and night flying) with 8 days OFF only is definitely the stall buffet. Scott, dont try to make us pull more on the stick. That message via AIMS and email by the management is totally irresponsible and borderline for air safety (pseudo threat for the sick callers). Just put the human factor issue in your scope and rethink the way you want to solve the sickness problem. I really think the new guys in Crew Planning have been doing a great job so far put they need our input at this time so they can keep on the right track.
1- The mixing of day flying and night flying on several consecutive days is a killer. I've seen rosters like this last month:
Day1:BAH-KWI-BAH-DXB-BAH
Day2:BAH-BKK-KUL
Day3:KUL-BKK-BAH
Day4:BAH-BOM-BAH
Day5:BAH-BOM-BAH
Day6:BAH-BOM-BAH
Day7:BAH-BKK-KUL
Day8:KUL-BKK-BAH
This was rostered without any days off or non-ops days in between. Just rest averaging between 12 and 24 hrs between each days. This is the worst, transferring from day to night flying ang vice versa with 24 hrs rest. How can you expect someone to stay alert and healthy with such an 11 days stretch. If the rest of the month is OFF you have time to rest but it is not the case in GF. 8 days OFF max per calendar month and this, even if you are over 75hrs. They will fill the blank spots with standbys.
2- The lack of preferential bidding
Solution:
1- Organize the rosters in a fashion that we fly the same amount of monthly hours but with more days to rest. I mean creating more productive blocks. This should come naturally with giving more than 8 days OFF a month when the 75hrs flying limit is reached. That means no standby days on a overtimed rosters. I understand this solution may be difficult to achieve considering our destinations network but there is definitely space for improvement.
2- Preferential bidding system. Some guys want to spend the most of their time down route (everybody have their preferences), somes guys want to be home with the family as much as possible. By exemple, give me that BAH-BKK-KUL (23hrs rest) KUL-BKK-BAH block 5 times in the months and I will be the happiest pilots on earth. Give it to half of the guys I know and they will be sad and more subject to call in sick. Bottom of the line, make pilots happy by allowing them to choose the flight they find suitable for their lifestyle and your rate of sickness will go down. That ``Come on guys, stop calling in sick because it is bad`` wont work for sure.
Conclusion:
Your rate of sickness will remain the same as long as you make your pilots fly above 75 hrs a month with 8 days OFF only AND without allowing them to fly the blocks they prefer. This is basic management. Making more productive blocks doesn't imply exhorbiting cost and a preferential biding system would be a good investment. There is a limit when you cannot press the lemon anymore and GF have just reached it. We are human and are responsible for several hundred lives a day. We need to be in a good physical and mental state when we drive those airplanes. Even if I don't cough or don't have a fever. that doesn't meen I am fit to fly an airplane. Flying 90 hrs per month (alternating between day and night flying) with 8 days OFF only is definitely the stall buffet. Scott, dont try to make us pull more on the stick. That message via AIMS and email by the management is totally irresponsible and borderline for air safety (pseudo threat for the sick callers). Just put the human factor issue in your scope and rethink the way you want to solve the sickness problem. I really think the new guys in Crew Planning have been doing a great job so far put they need our input at this time so they can keep on the right track.
Join Date: May 2003
Location: wallsend
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well said payriseplease ...there is no human consideration at all in the rostering planning .people are rostered in the same way a/c are rostered . thats a shame!!!! Wake up rostering planning its about people and their physiology , try Human Perfomance and Limitations for rostering personnel.
BTW thanks for the payrise.......
BTW thanks for the payrise.......
Join Date: Jun 2004
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Ironbutts and Costaliving
IB 57, I agree with you, we should ALL be qualified and current for KTM.( we all know there is a training problem ). Problem is when Monsoon is on, and ALL of us that go there, know what it can be like. Personal experience, when on stby during that period of the year, 9 times out of 10, you get called, and you guessed it, KTM. The person who has gone "sick" has checked the satellite wx in glorious colour, and any hint of red or magenta, he suddenly goes green at the gills, and is immediately on the telephone.!!!!: " give it to some other sucker" " give me a nice little MCT instead".
Costaliving
Excellent suggestions re the schooling. That would go a long long way in helping to keep pilots here, if you have kids.
Another thing, is all the rumours going round. IS GT going to operate as it is for the for-seeable future?, out of AUH, or not? I think we all want an answer from the powers that be. Yes or No.
Don't know about you bods, but I want some stability, so I can at least attempt to plan for my future. I'm not into hit and miss, and maybe this and maybe that. Come on GF, tell us.
tic
IB 57, I agree with you, we should ALL be qualified and current for KTM.( we all know there is a training problem ). Problem is when Monsoon is on, and ALL of us that go there, know what it can be like. Personal experience, when on stby during that period of the year, 9 times out of 10, you get called, and you guessed it, KTM. The person who has gone "sick" has checked the satellite wx in glorious colour, and any hint of red or magenta, he suddenly goes green at the gills, and is immediately on the telephone.!!!!: " give it to some other sucker" " give me a nice little MCT instead".
Costaliving
Excellent suggestions re the schooling. That would go a long long way in helping to keep pilots here, if you have kids.
Another thing, is all the rumours going round. IS GT going to operate as it is for the for-seeable future?, out of AUH, or not? I think we all want an answer from the powers that be. Yes or No.
Don't know about you bods, but I want some stability, so I can at least attempt to plan for my future. I'm not into hit and miss, and maybe this and maybe that. Come on GF, tell us.
tic
Gulf air and GT
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: min rest
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Hi Billy... Good to see you are still around.
Last year you posted on here news about your on going Back Pay dispute with GF.
Was this sorted out to your satisfaction or did you have to give up on it?
If GF did sort it all out for you eventually after you went public in desperation then the fact GF did pay what you were due should be recorded in the interests of fairness to GF and as a guide to any other crew in a similar situation.
Communication with staff was always a growing problem at GF after the unions and pilot welfare officer were both closed down in 1976.
Cheers scan
Last year you posted on here news about your on going Back Pay dispute with GF.
Was this sorted out to your satisfaction or did you have to give up on it?
If GF did sort it all out for you eventually after you went public in desperation then the fact GF did pay what you were due should be recorded in the interests of fairness to GF and as a guide to any other crew in a similar situation.
Communication with staff was always a growing problem at GF after the unions and pilot welfare officer were both closed down in 1976.
Cheers scan
