Capt Hair Y Balls

Hot off the press.

Command upgrades have been suspended.

I suspect this will be the final straw for many good colleagues who have invested many years of service in this airline.

What are you lads on the third floor doing?

Do you not realize that your actions will backfire? The exodus will be swift and en-mass.

Good luck to all, it has been an honour and a true pleasure to work with you for the past 20 years.

Stratosphere6000

If all those FO's were worried about commands slowing down, now it may get even worse. Read this article in GDN. Looks like GF gonna get even smaller than expected. Printing error? maybe..but how many of you are gonna take this sort of a gamble when all this has happened. I've said it a million times. GF and Bahrain have massive potential. Unfortunately GF is only attractive for two kinds of pilots right now. Guys who need an opportunity to fly jets and those who are already commanders and are settled here. Those FO's with enough jet time or young captains who aspire for greater challenges, just not attractive. Im sure a lot of us would like to see GF succeed. Question is are many prepared to take the risk and end up waiting endlessly for new challenges when other carriers will offer you similar in half the time? Its all up to the individual but I know most guys don't want to stagnate in their careers.....READ ON!!!!

http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story...&IssueID=30052

boiler

The lies never stop. what a load of bu****.

AirbustA340

Boilermaker did you expect the lies to stop?

Wishfull thinking

boiler

Well, no not really. What I find incredible is that how people have the guts to say a straight out lie right next to the crown prince and then get away with it. Actually, it is the getting away with it part that always amazes me with no one bothering to check-up on the accuracy such statements.

F430

And now the same guys will create the same disaster next door.
EY wiil be just a copy of the so called successful restructuring of GF.

SandpitFlyer

They all lie in the Middle east, what's important is who's the highest paying liar

scanscanscan

The GDN report on GF also refers to " Laughter being the best medicine"......
and healthy for you.....I expect healthy Mr Hogan is laughing all the way to his bank...and goood luck to him...as he goes back for seconds in Auh...could MCT be next...then off to India?
Should one laugh or cry at the many many times GF gets screwed over again and again in every department over the years?...probably laughter is more healthy.
Tomorrow happily is the retired on (no Gf pension) expat crews reunion in London....the crews who served Gf well from 1974 to 2002ish on the F27/B737/L1011/and Airbus fleets...pity if their one free (husband+wife) retirement ticket after 20years service has now been scrapped.....and they now use Ryanair with 100% less hassle for retirement travel.
These crews made huge efforts 1974 to 2000... like you have done since the crash... and some stayed loyal and waited for things to get better....for most who stayed it never did....the only advantage I found was long term expat tax status for some nationalities as their investment income often became equal to or sometimes double their Gf salery....secure their Gf employment effort fell off as they aged and the reality..... that things would in fact never get better at GF for crews struck....despite having flown through two wars...flown on days off...given up leave... etc etc Gf employment became secondary to their portfolio management....as things would never get better at GF.
The crash was well talked up as an inevitable outcome of managers actions and several trainers and pilots did not hang around to see it happen.
I reallyhope it all works out for you crews who have made huge efforts like we did for GF.
I appreciate the efforts you have all made since the crash to keep the GF show afloat..and I hope you all stay as lucky as I did.
Incidentaly I do not know any pilot in my 26years at GF who moved or was removed from GF who regretted it 3 years on.

Capt Hair Y Balls

Some good ol words of wisdom there from my mate scan. He's seen it all boys and if in his 26 years things didnt get better I seriously doubt they'll start now. After all he did live through GF's golden age, we then went through the silver, bronze..........and now it's back to the stone age.

Cheers
Fluffies

Stratosphere6000

Comment from one of our favourites IB57. Just an article which certainly proves GF are not the trend setters as some would like to believe. Whether EY can do it is just as big a gamble as whether or not GF can. I would still put my money on EY though.

Etihad targets 2010 for first profits
By Brendan Sobie

Etihad Airways plans more rapid network and fleet growth but warns it will chalk up another three years of losses and needs another capital infusion.

The Abu Dhabi-based carrier's new management team, which includes chief executive officer James Hogan and executive vice-president finance James Rigney, has completed a new business plan that projects the first break even result in 2010. Etihad launched services in late 2003 and has quickly expanded its network to nearly 40 destinations.

"In the first three years there were trading losses and in the next three years there will be trading losses, which is not unexpected," Rigney says. "The new business plan has the business achieving break even in 2010. What was important to our shareholder is we build a realistic business plan."

Etihad is not disclosing the extent of its losses but says it is on track to generate $1.3 billion in revenues in 2007 and carry over 4 million passengers. In the first quarter of 2007 it generated 712 million dirham ($194 million) in revenues, a 208% increase over the same period last year, despite only a 130% increase in capacity. Yields improved by 19% and load factors surged from 54.5% to 68.3%.

Rigney reveals Etihad is close to completing a recapitalisation with its shareholder, Abu Dhabi's government: "What is required is the right level of capitalisation and the right level of corporate and financial governance of a business of this magnitude. What was required for the first three years was different."

Rigney says that since he and Hogan joined Etihad from Gulf Air in October they have drafted a new manual of authority and put into place stronger and more detailed reporting lines. Better inventory and pricing controls have been implemented and Etihad has begun hedging its fuel costs. "A large part of our business plan is to have a very efficient cost base and to maximise our revenues," Rigney says.

He adds the government has tasked the new management team to carry out a financial restructuring and run the airline purely commercially without any subsidies. "When we came the airline just became three years old. To go from start-up to 24 aircraft in three years is very fast. It was a major operational focus. After three years we move into a new phase. We're a new airline but no longer a start-up."

The carrier's passenger fleet will expand from 21 to 31 aircraft in 2007, giving it the capacity to launch several new routes. Etihad added two destinations in the first quarter and will add another four by the end of this summer. It is looking to add another five by end of 2007, giving it 47 destinations in total.

Etihad is now only committed to acquiring four additional aircraft beyond 2007 - four Airbus A380s which will not be delivered until 2009 and 2010. But Etihad's new business plan includes continued rapid growth and Rigney says it will secure the additional capacity it needs for 2008 and beyond within the next two months. "There will be significant growth in the next five years," promises Rigney.

He adds Etihad is now talking to Airbus and Boeing about additional widebodies and its first narrowbodies, which are needed to further develop its Abu Dhabi hub.

Panama Jack

Just like he did with GF?

"The mandate I have is to consolidate and like any good shareholder they want to see tha airline break even and make a return. That's the clear brief I have," said Hogan, the Australian-born former Gulf Air chief executive. "We haven't published any figures, but you can imagine, starting up with an airline as we have, there are a lot of capital costs. It's not in profit yet, but there is a clear mandate to bring it to break-even and profitability."

When (and how) does he expect to do that? "We haven't made that public yet. I'll tell the shareholders first and then I'll tell you."

Talk is cheap and seeing is believing. What furniture does Etihad have that he can sell?

Stratosphere6000

Exactly my point. So what makes you so confident about GF doing it? If you read between the lines of my comments I implied seeing is believing. My point was lets not get carried away and think GF will be the pioneer and trend setter. Also a lot of you think James Hogan destroyed this airline and so he will do it at EY. Did you ever consider how much power he did have to make big changes over here? He has said in an interview that the most upsetting thing was when the board opted not to hedge the fuel prices which were totally against his beliefs. We all know about the losses incurred by being short sighted about that. He sold assets, these guys downsizing. Same outcome different route? Also if the future of EY is to be judged by Hogans past achievements then we should forcast GF's future based on the acomplishments of GF's CEO n COO.......right???????

Firbolgs

Its amazing that some guys blame Hogie for the GF demise, I am no great lover of the man but how can he take the rap for the last 25 years of cheating/stealing/nepotism and general corruption that has brought a once well respected airline to its knees.

Im sure any old timer in GF will recall the massive amounts that went missing under certain countries leadership!...with no one being brought to task over it. Is it any wonder that UAE got fed up with it?

Yet another 3rd rate loser has been put in charge and he is expected to resurect the fortunes of the airline, sorry folks but its an impossible task with what is left....start again with a clean sheet of paper.
Its time to stop living in the past, the heydays are gone, there is now competition in the gulf region so its survival of the fittest...

Good luck to one and all

ironbutt57

I reckon that's precisely what they are in the process of doing..in many ways lots of stumbling blocks from the good old days disappeared...others overhauled...if they are left to the task, then hopefully it works out...JH was hamstrung with a lot of his plans due to govt's infighting and squabbling over who gets what and where, now the logisitcs headaches of multiple hubs and owners are a thing of the past, maybe this can succeed keeping fingers crossed...

Heleheleyani

There's a sweet message from our COO mr naf in our aims, I want to say him at least on my behalf that he has enough time to convince many people who are planning to leave, at least a month maybe 2 months, I personally will wait until september or so before I give my resignation, so let's see what he has got to offer.

Speedbrake Lever

Hele

I think two months or Sept you might miss a lot of whats available NOW

but good luck with whatever you decide personally i think

its time to get on a raft and start pedalling


S.L. 20+ yrs ....... gf

Mustapha Rex

never seen anyting like it mate

Leave everythin come this way! Jump Jump!

discover

More than 100 Pilots were poached last week from Bahrain , the biggest ever poaching of it’s kind in the history of Bahrain ,
as representatives from the rival Airlines landed at Bahrain International Airport last week, carrying with them bags of jobs offers , and were told by there bosses “ just go and get as much as you can “ , they did not have to go to fare to Start there poaching , posts were positioned around the Airport , at a nice cozy hotel next to Gulf Air headquarter, and by the end of the day a hefty list of a highly experienced Airline Pilots were flown back , this week they will be back again for some more poaching .

Even though it’s not a very good news for our ailing national carrier , and it could have not come at a worse time , but , it’s also unconceivable to see some of those veteran Pilots who spent years with there families on this soil take such a hasty Decision which is mostly based on emotions , as if there live hoods is in danger of collapsing ? Pilots demand is on the rise , so the more one wait , the better it will get, thus, switching jobs , or starting a new life at the cost of the live hoods of ones family and children’s might not be the best thing one should do or rush into without proper plans and investigations , just because someone said that the : “grass is greener on the other side “ !

Bombay HF

I believe that BAHRAINI pilots have now been banned from going to Etihad for political reasons.

Capt Al Fakhem

Discover,

I believe you omitted to mention that the text you posted is from a letter posted in the GDN from a certain Mr Ishaq Kooheji. Mr Kooheji is obviously either missinformed or oblivious to what's going on in GF.

I fear no one's decision is taken in hast, it was taken after reading that 1500 EXPAT crew will be sacked and after Mr Naf advised that potentially up to 200 pilots will be either sacked or given a warning.