What happened to the EK FEB roster??
 

Am I the only one in TOP bid this month and all I got were back to back turns along with min rest and absolutely nothing that was bid for??
:mad:
Cant really believe that I'm alone in this one!!:ugh:

New policy apparently, maximum six days off in a row to be given in a calendar month. Hence many bids for 10 days off in a row were not rostered. Should come out as an official bulletin soon.

Any prospective joiners please note this. In an airline where arguably the vast majority have no desire to be in Dubai, you will be even more restricted in getting to your home country on days off. Kind of a bizarre move when you're trying to attract expat pilots...?

Rumour has it they only ran the adopt program on the top 2 bid groups as they did not have time to do the whole lot. Another fine Kwality effort by our support & admin team :ugh:

I am in second top bid group and was given night turnarounds and only 1 day off in the requested block.:*

Firstly, someone must have the good flights; everyone can't have a **** roster. Secondly, I have found that (in general) when I have analysed my roster compared to what I bid for I find the error in my own bidding. Not always, but often. Don't forget it is a mathematical optimiser; add up your total points and try and figure out why you have what you have. Top bid can be tricky to bid for.
Finally I like to think of it not as a roster per se, but as a suggestion of what they would like you to do.

Noticed how one member of the CRS Help Team managed to get two/2 of the better EK406 flights when his bid group seniority would suggest that this would not normally be possible as a "mere" line pilot.......in fact one of the flights was even blocked on the pre-assigned flights list.

These days with so few such trips being available to line pilots unless one is in the top bid group its virtually impossible to get one unless something has got horribly screwed up in the CRS roster build.

Of course sitting in with your buddies in Roster Planning may also have its advantages :).

Smell a rat......prob not.... just cynical and paranoid :}.

Good Luck in March :{.

Have you considered the possibility that as he is part of the CRS team and volunteers his time, the company may have offered him a 'flight of his choice' each month? Happens with recruiting and some other dept's where people volunteer their time.

Or, as part of the CRS team, he probably bids better than most of us?

Trainers were asked to bid for FEB back in December with their JAN bid, so what ever has effected this month's roster was known about back then...

I am in 2nd top bid group for February and I got exactly what I asked for. I have always used the automatic system as opposed to the manual/points system?? Mind you I keep it fairly simple with about 7 bids. I even received my requested number of days off in a row! Seems to be working perfectly for me.......but for how long?

I pretty much got what i wanted days off wise, top bid. Lets not forget this is a 29 day month.
If the company is seriously gonna restrict days off in a row, they will see a flood of resignations. This would be crass stupidity http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/ak...smiley-060.gif

EGGW

And when has "crass stupidity" ever got in the way of a new EK Policy??

:}:}

I've had it with them
 

Been here 9 years. And some time ago i actually thought I mastered the bidding system. And now this. It has not been only February, it has been going on since December. So, since the commuting was the only thing that kept me here, that is it for me. I am out. I wonder how many more?

Bid window for feb on a 29 day month was something like 85-92 hours. On a 31 day month that would translate into approx 90-98 hours. Not exactly reasonable for longhaul with massive timezone crossing.

What I am trying to say is they were probably forced into messing with the rosters to make it work and cover the flying. Give a call or email one of the CRS help guys and they can explain "global solution" to you. Essentially it means the computer ignores your bid in the bottom two or three months. It just isn't capable and therefore a bunch of stuff must be thrown out for it to finish it's task. That "stuff" is your bid. This might explain why you're getting those crap months now during the bottom of your cycle. If you're a Boeing guy, well come the Airbus hell!

CO

Is this a job for....Rumour Buster. :hmm:

days off to commute
 

If on the 2 top bid months our requests for a reasonable block of days off are thrown out and thus restrict ANY commutes ,my resignation will follow a few months after my upcoming upgrade course is done and i have the bare bones amount of time to go elsewhere.
EK are skating on thin ice with hot blades as it is with many issues but this will be the last straw.
May they rot in hell and may Dubai implode.:\:\:\

schismatic's explanation corresponds so perfectly with the information I was given I am inclined to believe it's the truth. I really have no idea as to why the objection to strings of days off - if you're rostered "X" number of hours, then you're flying "X" hours...if you fly those hours in 20 days or 25 or 30...who cares? The introduction of flight pay would seem to prove that they're quite familiar with the concept of "paid by the hour". Perhaps they are a bit shorter of pilots than they are letting on? Do you think?! Well welcome to the backside of the power curve then guys...because alienating the pilots who haven't left probably isn't the wisest move.

Strings of days off are the only thing that allow me to remain here, because they allow me to NOT be here...as much. Drop it below ten as a max, and I'm gone...since ten is barely enough to make a N. American trip home worthwhile. Forget the declining dollar and inflation and driving and filth and noise and on and on...this would be not the last straw, but the last anvil thrown on this camels back.

Standing by...

If they dont like "Pilots having periods without work", how will they like "Having Work periods without Pilots"?.....:cool:

Why should you, we can't!!!:{ I wonder how many of those affected will really vote with their feet? A good question to ask at interview though you might hear some porky pies.

If my (top bid group) roster is anything to go by, this has to be true. Visitors coming, so bid for the time they'd be here off... do I need to say more about what I'll be doing while they're here? The flight I got features absolutely nowhere in my preferences.

I suspect the applications to VOz may have doubled after the the February rosters came out.