No Comms...
 

Is it just me or has it been VERY quiet from HQ recently?

Monthly Fleet Forums - Gone
Fleet Facts Newsletter - Gone
Training Newsletter - Gone
Flt Ops Update- Intermittent

Rumours of minimum age for command, 330 Capt to 380 transfer being postponed with one weeks notice to stay on a fleet with no flying, SO's being proposed but shot down by the upper management as it would be 'beneath' certain people..

Is there anybody out there???

Apparently not.............

Seems to me to be better that way!

The lack of communication is incredible. It's nice in a way that the RTGS wash up is gone, listening to the same old lines being trotted out got old quickly, but fleet facts was an interesting enough read, the weekly summary email is sporadic at best and contains almost nothing tangible (EPTs - great!). I guess even JA has to some extent given up on the place!

If there is a way to ensure apathy in the workforce, not engaging with them at all sure helps.

Actions speak louder than words. Hence why no words are required.

Tends to be what happens when bullies get exposed. They slink off and hid under their rocks.

At least we get the daily email from grouptoday to learn how to eco water our gardens....

The only day you should open the inbox is payday. Life is much more enjoyable that way. Get your updates on pprune or at the bar from the FO.

When a skipper goes around weighing individual bags at an outstation and then goes on to report it or someone goes around verifying that suitcases are locked, I am starting to think that no comms from the company is by far the better option, talk about micro-managing, that is it as its best!

Couldn't agree more. I have a friend who flew with this ASR suitcase lock skipper. Checked every one of them on both sectors and reported them all. He was writing 2 ASR's a week about it at one point. Unsurprisingly is an Aussie.. Our own worst enemies sometimes.

Too bad we don't have pigeon holes any more. Remember the sandwich saga with the looser from Italy??? I did lose some weight that time by saving the sandwiches for drop off @hq...

Can someone give us a hint who this tosser is. (actually a word which starts with a s and ends with -bag would be more appropriate).

This has to be a wind-up surely??

If this is in fact true, not only is this person a very sad and small-minded individual, but he's making us all look bad. He must be outed.

This is just all unbelievable... Some of us have been taken off courses and now threaten with this stupid and idiotic age for command rumour, together with the fact that no one has said anything at all for the courses that we were originally planned on... even if some of us have done our interviews 6 months ago!

They have lost it completely... I can tell you of at least 18 guys I have spoken from my group of friends alone, and on both 777 and A380 that will resign the very next day if they put an age requirement.

They clearly have no idea what they are doing or what they are getting into... but good luck in crewing the airplanes!

First it's a British now an Aussie. Speedbird we know you haven't any friends, stop make !!!!e up.

Don't remember saying it was a Brit. If it's the suitcase lock thing we are talking about, I would have doubted it myself until I read it in the ASRs appearing several times. It's easy to trace one back, if you don't believe me go and search. I'm not going to copy and paste and ASR on here or share much more about the guy but I assure you it's accurate as I checked it myself.
Anyway the point is that the guy is an idiot, and EK is fast becoming a joke with zero communication. Let's not get side tracked.

I'd speculate the radio silence is just the calm before the storm. With the new Swiss chop-chopper just arriving onsite no doubt some big changes are looming that render Aussie bag-weighers inconsequential. Gee, I wonder if whatever Mueller is proposing will make things better or...the other?

Be careful what you wish for. I've got my popcorn ready.

Training college staff flying the line, no CC recruitment, reduced airframe utilisation plus a host of other things going on behind the scenes. As was explained to me "it's as if the lights have suddenly been switched on in the roach house". There are a great many in jeopardy, mostly Grade 10 and above for now as the German technocrat seeks to rid us of the plethora of useless DVSPs and the like.
Flight Ops for now is safe given that the resignation rate continues unabated and training are unable to keep pace with replacements. The baby however will most certainly be thrown out with the bath water given the perilous state the various people running their fiefdoms' inside the bouncy are feeling right now as they seek to blame....anyone else.

Like the comment about turning the lights on in a roach house. Very fitting!

This age rumour has very little or no credibility. Someone above mentioned how many FOs will resign the next day if it comes into effect, what about all the mid-20s FOs joining the company now...would you like to tell them it could be over 10 years before they upgrade?
I have been wrong before, but I don't see this ever becoming more official than PPRuNe

Logically, what you say is probably correct. Except for the logically part!

He's German. But every single other word is correct.

CM talks about the burning platform. It's going to get very hot in the Castle.
There will be collateral damage as certain sects will do anything to protect their Empires.
Close the door and avail (I hate that word) a comfortable seat.

Alas....

CM too will hit the all too familiar brick wall every other flight management type has tried to break thru.

The only way things will change at EK IMO is if CM can somehow put a little simple logic and reality into AAR's head. Whether that will happen... we wait to see.

I still think Wasta wins....

K

The slowing of cabin crew recruiting for a few months is because main fleet only crew are now being cross trained onto the 380. Some part time SEP trainers have been released back to the line. All back to normal in NOV.

Jungle drum says huge DEC drive for the 777. 777 Capts to be sent to the 380.

But who trains the DEC's and the transferred Capt's???

Good point. Well presented.

Don, pure propaganda or the party line whoever told you that, yes there's truth in what you say, but the greater truth is what I posted. As ever the reality is hidden behind layers of spin and opinion, my info came from someone who if I gave specific details of what they told me would potentially identify them, and no it's not come from someone in fleet or training etc.

CC recruitment has not been stopped - multiple assessment days through November.

Batch numbers reduced to eight per month and part time CC trainers put back on line.

All CC to be fully cross trained by Feb - original plan was Nov

The age 35 is NOT a pprune rumor - it is being discussed above.

Even by EK's recent standards, this one sounds rather outlandish. Quite a few guys who upgraded over the last year are under 35 and will be for a few years to come, so what happens to them if it somehow did get approved? Not to mention the immediate exodus of sub 35yr old SFO's it would trigger. Just what's needed right about now eh?!

Is it possible that the age requirement is something that comes from our insurance providers after our incident?

It might have done if the pilots concerned were under 35...I'm pretty sure not the case this time.

Captain in the incident was 34- so I'm pretty sure you are wrong

Gents,

The age thing is completely idiotic. A lot of us who joined EK at a young age and are now approaching 5 years in the company, some of us having done the IVs already and will leave "en masse" if this happens. Im young enough to go and start all over in another airline or take a gamble. There are several airlines taking experienced FOs as DECs, like Spring Airlines for example.

Come this age thing... the very next day they will be unable to recruit a single pilot from a LCC.

X bleed open - see you at Spring Airlines - Junior 😜

X bleed, you had better start looking!!

I can imagine just how much of a sickener it would be to be told that the age for a wide body command is 35 but that age is by no means unusual, I have seen it in at least two ops manuals. Possibly a bit easier to take if it is the printed word before one joins. Don't count on any 'mass exodus' either, often talked about, rarely, if ever, happen.

They are sending experienced captains back to the right seat, don't think for a minute they would hesitate to make 35 a requirement. I've heard they are willing to park more airplanes as a result of any "exodus" to satisfy whomever is dictating these new terms. As far as not being able to recruit from the LCCs, I'm sure thats been considered. Maybe they've decided they don't need them or don't want them.

X-Bleed,

Generally we all believe that EK recruitment do a great job considering every aspect of your experience and personality before joining.
The problem is that once you arrive in the Middle East you know ‘nothing’!

Traditionally experience within the airline has only been measured in terms of kilograms.
Consideration of the number of sectors flown, T/Offs and LDGs completed, ETOPS twins vs quads, stick time vs bunk time, merit vs seniority, and age vs maturity, have never really played a part in any upgrade deliberations.

I have no objection with considering the 35 year age limit, but believe a more holistic approach to respecting experience should be conducted, and a more robust policy created that doesn't change every five minutes.

Well I don't know... but what I know is that when I did my IV no one said anything besides the fact that I was the right profile and I was ready for the course. Now they want me to wait 5, I say again 5 more years After I have been flying 10 already? What can I do If I started at a young age on a jet? I have met the requirements to upgrade as per the current OMA by FAR!

So what, now a guy with 35 years old and the bare minimum upgrade requirements is better than a 30 year old with say 3000h more, only because he was born earlier? Bulls**t! Most of The affected young guys were captains before or even trainers in previous reputable airlines back in US or Europe.

How about the guys that are already under 35? What about the 5/6 guys that arr about to finish their upgrades as we speak and are below 30? All of a sudden they are not good anymore? Come on please! This is idiotic!!

The problem is that the cadets, that have 7000h actually have about half of that and very few landings/approaches/sectors. Hence why I think the new policy about stick time is a partial patch to what needs to be revisited in the first place. But guys like us who come from LCC with 4000landings on 320, countless deicings and Low Viz Ops, and then 5 years in EK are now not good all of a sudden because of the year we were born?

Please, don't make me laugh. Check the seniority list and tell me at least 400 FOs born after say 1986 (30yo at the moment) will not send the CVs around the very next day this thing comes to live!

They are screwing with the only guys that were still "happy" here... the ones that were keen tp stay here another 10/15 years and the guys who were the future of this airline.

They have already screwed the more senior guys beyond remedy, let's now make sure EVERYONE is ready to leave as soon as they have a feasible option.

Name one time please in which young age has been the main cause of an accident in aviation. Or even better, how different would the outcome of EK521 have been if they were both 35? Come on... seriously.

No offense but I think you have just found out what EK is really about. Better sooner rather than later if you ask me.

None taken. But I would have though this "incident" would lead to changes that are REALLY NEEDED! Not to stupid and pointless knee jerks that will not only not fix anything, but that will rather cause a fire to start elsewhere!

Good luck to them crewing the airplanes, and thanks god I kept my 320 and 330 current.