Pilot shortage in EK
 

Got pulled out the other day on reserve and CC told me that they needed urgent guys...

They had to call out 40 some people and where still short for some flights the next day.

AAR did a good job... saved millions for the company last year...:ugh:
I am sure he got a BIIIIG BONUS for himself. And now he is too greedy to pay it back to EK, to make up for the millions we are loosing due to the miss management he is responsible for.

Very wise to halt recruitment last year and now they are expecting up to 3 AC per month next year.

Beside: the new IAH flight requires 70+ Pilots a month.....

Well done :D:D:D

This is the bit I can't understand.

We are not yet getting any aircraft we weren't expecting. Were we planning to utilise them less?

Someone got the sums very VERY wrong.

I heard Flight Ops has had to cop to Tim that they can't handle any new routes for at least 12 months...

Believe he was not best pleased.....

Goodbye factoring
 

Rumour is factoring is about to disappear. Again.

Bet that won't help rostering and the required numbers.

Or the 2nd daily IAH and LAX ops...

Yes indeed, uncle Alan will soon be receiving the bad news letter from the GCAA stating that on augmented flights you may only log hours on the the stick, but that all of the hours shall count towards the 100hr monthly, and 900hr annual limit.

Numerous guys being rostered ULR flights and being factored will now have to be sent on office duties, or leave. "Oh Im sorry I thought that shredder was a photo copier". "Delete all..oops."

allaru,

How do you know about this letter from the GCAA?

Flappy,

Each IAH and all other ULR flights require in excess of 40 drivers per departure, when you account for days off required before and after the flight, plus the flight itself and the augment team and any standby issued. They sap a lot of drivers!

halas

I have got an idea....lets send all the Pilots a b@@s@it letter explaining why the overtime limit is raised to 93 hours....that will work..for about 9 months:ugh: And to be fair I think think the factoring idea (for the second time) was signed off by Uncle Ed...who came, saw, destroyed and then left the building

I heard the story that the GCAA had stopped EK from raising the annual limit to 1000hrs last year because of the factoring.

If this is the case, then with no factoring, the limit could well be raised to 1000hours.

This will have little to no effect on us, many of us are already operating in the 950-980 unfactored hours for the last 12 months, and factoring brought it to 850-890 hours.

I do suspect the Captains will suddenly find "quiet" months, since they have been working 5-10 hours/month harder than us F/Os for quite a while, and it was the factoring that brought them barely within the 900 hour limit.

The staffing problem could be easily fixed in the same way they solve any problem in this part of the world. Throw money at it. A significant increase in pay would attract all the candidates they need. The resulting numbers could then be used to improve life style by reducing individual flying hours and increasing days off. This would, in turn, attract even more people and make EK the premier job in the industry. Sure, it would cut a little into the 1 billion plus profits, but it would fix the problem.

The rhetorical question then: will EK management see beyond their short term profits (which would still be staggeringly high) and look at long term, sustainable and stable growth strategies?

The only thing stopping EK from taking over the planet is staffing and there is no one willing to turn the ship from the iceberg looming in front.

p.s. just ran some very rough numbers and here's what I came up with. Based on current staffing levels and everything else remaining equal, EK could raise starting FO pay to 36000 dhs and starting CA pay to 50000 dhs and it would cost about 30 million dhs annually. Considering their 5 Billion dhs profit, its a drop in the bucket.

No Incentive
 

The higher management at Emirates do not understand the philosophy of incentive. If there is a crewing problem and the DGCA start playing hardball Tim will tell them to fix it with creative thinking and that is what they will do. Be prepared for the return of the 24 hr ULR layover.

They will quite happily cop a few ASRs rather than upset the business plan or bottom line.

GN,

Actually, I've heard that one thing the FAA IS adament about is 48hr min layovers for ULR- They are apparently unhappy with the 26hr JFK.

Mos eisley might be a funny guy ..

But he's right ! cash is king in this part of the world ! .. increase the salary and guys will apply here ...

They already are

OBOGS
 

well not really mate..... Plenty of guys applying to go over now with more then enough exp willing to fly on whats offered today :)

Aussie
 

I think OBOGS is suggesting that MosEisley's calculations might be incorrect. If you were to raise the monthly basic by the amount suggested it would probably cost the company nearer 300 million Dhs annually rather than the 30 million quoted... but I might be completely wrong.

Then remove the age limit.
 

< age 52 to join EK.

Wiz-
 

Wiz-

I think you hit the nail right on the head re 48 hrs layover on ULR flights to USA. Last November, Delta was told to make JFK-DEL 48 hrs. Previously it was 24. Also, I flew on EY and the purser asked me if all our ULR layovers were becoming 48 hrs min. Now why would an EY purser ask a question like that? Of course, she is closer to GCAA HQ than we are.

GTI

2500 pilots,

Approx 10 000dhs/mth raise

2 500*10 000*12= 300 000 000.

Yeah, a little out on the sums Mos.

But then, how much will canceled flights and lease payments on Aeroplanes sitting around doing nothing cost?

I have heard rumours here in OZ that they are going to drop the Jet requirement and call it turbo prop instead to get the required guys for recruitment.
Is this fact or fiction............... on a rumour network:ok:

That should have been done years ago, in order to blunt the general F/O sense of entitlement at EK.:}

Yep, thanks for the correction, my figures were monthly not annually. So by my number it would be 360 million dhs per year. Even at those numbers, they still make 1+ billion. Staffing the airline will be the biggest challenge. Spend some money, problem solved and they will be able to actually fly all the airplanes they plan on buying.

JFK and YYZ are SLR ( can be done with 3 pilots on a seasonal basis) and as such 24h layover will stay, not sure about OZ

"Show me the money"
 

EK is making an average of US$125,000,000 profit a week. Last week was their best ever: US$175,000,000. Can they afford to give the crews a raise? You do the math.
T

Troff... Umm... shake your head buddy, your brain is stuck. These numbers are not realistic.

vee tail
 

With regards to your comment ( dont know how to get your quote in this space :() Before they change the req to allow Turboprop guys to apply, there are still heaps of ERJ145/CRJ200 guys with jet exp but below the 30T rule, so im guessing thatll be the first to be removed before they look at turboprops...

A380 Driver, Troff

Thanks for that. I know this company is run by CC and not Flt Ops, but one week's revenue is not an average. And frankly I do consider the source.

Now that I've thought it through a bit more carefully, I actually think this number is conservative. My apologies to both of you. I suspect we're at least on target for the published stated profit target of 1.45 billion USD, which was last year's result.

Based on management rumblings in our Weekly Updates that we are on target, this would presume a weekly profit of about 2.4 million USD, significantly more than we're discussing at the moment.

Those said rumblings at times intimate that we're ahead of our target... I like the sound of all of that! Perhaps it may be of some material consolation next May when the Fiscal 2010 announcement is made.

I remain hopeful.

$125,000,000USD/week????! That's about 6.5 BILLION USD in profit per year! Hmmm nice profit sharing check...LOL

Aussie, I think one of the obstacles to Turbo Prop experience is the need to do base training. The EK sims I am pretty sure, are only zero flight time if the candidate has 1000hs jet transport, otherwise its bash the circuit at RAK.

Been done before, in fact some airlines still 'bash the circuit'.
Among them presently are LH and SV.
Makes for a better all 'round trained pilot.
Of course, to do this exercise properly, the respective airline needs proper Training Captain numbers....apparently in rather short supply at EK.:ugh:

The number is correct, only the denomination is Dhs, not US$.

Possibly (at least from the LH side) it's because they are CADETS!!!! Have you heard of zero-flight time type ratings? It's obviously a EUROLAND thing heh?:ugh::ugh: Again, you poke your nose into an airline that you no absolutely nothing about:\

Whilst I agree with many things that you post 411a, you should only post about what you know otherwise you make a fool of yourself:{

For example ... You work at EK? NO! You know the training department? No! Give us a break fellah!!!

Drop the 30 ton rule so many RJ drivers from American can apply to EK...

WhiteKnight might perhaps like to actually take a closer look at LH aircraft training, then he might (but certainly no guarantee) have the facts straight.

411A

I agree with Whiteknight. There are times when your posts are let down by a combination of ignorance and arrogance. The latter being worse as you should know better. You're also good at those regular bating comments you often through in to elicit angry responses, often from F/O's. You're one hell of a wind up merchant who must get up the noses of many you fly with if you act anything like the way you write. :=

Your statement that circuit bashing makes for a more rounded pilot is simply your opinion. There are no facts whatsoever to back up that comment.

It needs far more than a few touch and go's to accomplish that.

Harry

The whole point of recruiting experience is avoid the need to bash the circuit and spend money. 411 doesn't have to look as far away as LH for an example, EK already does it with their cadets. (Didn't he know that?)

I thought 411 was a phone number in North America for useful information.....

Sorry but the reason they put the 30 T limit was to exclude RJ types

No, it's BS. A CRJ-200 doesn't meet the criteria, but a CRJ-700 does. It's the same type rating, just a small differences course. And from the EK applicaiton drop down menu, the CRJ-200/700/900 was one option. :ugh:

Fatbus
 

Mate, not much diff between the CRJ200 and 700 and likewise the ERJ145 and 170... in terms of flying anyway. Ones over 30T and other ones not. Both regional jets, dont see what the Ejet guys have over the ERJ drivers.... except advanced tech. which means they do even less in the cockpit ;) :E

Seems several other airlines share my opinion, and have for a very long time....in fact, quite likely since you were in short pants.
Younger guys think they know everything...many times they are sadly mistaken.
No surprise.:rolleyes:

I agree 411A.
On the other hand, the new technology allows the safe practice of circuits in all sorts of conditions that are rarely available (nor desirable) in the real aircraft. When's the last time you let a trainee land in 40kts of crosswind at night?
You are a braver instructor than I...