B772...thanks for letting me know. My mistake.

JIM

Slingsby is almost right. More like 6 at the interview stage with EK, about 4 more closing in on VB Australia with several more talking about it as they think they'll miss the boat if they don't go now. A few interviewed recently by Dragon and Cathay. SQ Freight hiring again, Britannia hiring, China Airlines phoning captains offering them jobs. Worst of all, Singapore dollar way down, so for expats, effectively a 20-30% pay cut in the last twelve months. Attempt to recruit direct entry 767 Captains came to nought when the offer was unveiled. Monthly hours, combined with no leave being given means pilots are closing on the annual maximum and will have to be taken off roster for a while. Flight Ops management frozen in deep thought. No apparent interest in addressing any of it.

Do I get the impression that quite soon certain Airlines will be parking aircraft because they do not have the Pilots to fly them??

Or am I being wildly optimistic in that conclusion??

Certain Airlines seem to think there is an abundance of Pilots prepared to drop everything and travel half way across the world to some poxy country in the middle of nowhere all for a pittance!

The whole point of being an expat is to better oneself financially and to be paid a premium for risking the uncertainties of being on employment terms which can be terminated at any time by just being given 3 months notice.

The world is not enough to get me to go to Brunei even though MF and Lady P are no longer there.

Sorry guys, but the SLINGSBY has just bought a one way ticket. Good luck to all of you.

The worm turns
 

Its seems that MOST airlines, especially outside the US, are recruiting like mad. Certainly in the Asia Pacific region. If RBA can't get the pilots at the current rate, then the only option is to push the aircraft up against the fence?

One would have thought though, it would make far better sen$e to pay crews extra to fly the a/craft rather than let them accummulate non-revenue hours on the hard stand. Are noses being cut off to spite the face?

With the amount of chaps looking to leave RBA at the rate mentioned certainly doesn't promote it as the happiest of abodes. Is it the money, the hours, the living conditions; it would be interesting to know?

Those of you in the abode, what's the story? Are you getting the short end of the stick? Why leave Gods Blessed Country?

Reasons? All of the above mentioned and quite a few more as well. No pay rise since the 1980s, cr@p exchange rate with no protection system, jobs available elsewhere now and total surprise from RBA that it is finding it very difficult to attract suitable pilots and that those that are in Brunei are no longer just looking to leave.......they are leaving.

More importantly for RBA, those pilots that are continuing to fly the line are doing it without an once of goodwill and are starting to feel very resentful. That will cost RBA.

Time for a backdated pay rise Mr Foster.

It's not God's Blessed Country, but it is peaceful enough. Cynical? Been to Iraq then, have we?

The country's pro's and con's aside, there is a deterioration in the affairs of the airline that are not being addressed.

Should they be addressed on PPRuNe?

I don't know really, but the frustration of almost every pilot is palpable, though not great enough for anyone to crow about specifics on PPRuNe. Perhaps it should stay that way. No-one really thinks this discussion solves anything, do they?

What does, is representation, at every opportunity. It is required by those of conscience who have to deal with the crap. It is required by those who have a spine. And it is welcomed, though not entirely encouraged, by more folks than you may imagine.

If you feel you have a gripe, and there are many, go in and state your beef. Be a man about it, not a mouse. No use berating me for writing this. I'm no company man. Just get off your butt and go make your point. The DFO may not listen of course. But at least you'll be acting in a way that you can, in a small way, be pleased with.

This PPRuNe business of complaining to like-minded individuals is thoroughly ineffective, if you want to look at it realistically.

Don't go sick 'cause you've flown too much; don't complain about the awesome lack of planning on the one and only challenging route we do without saying something meaningful to the one person who wrote that drivel (couldn't help myself); don't derail the DFM's efforts - at least he's trying; don't moan about how the COM's FDP section is badly written, read AKL and discretion... at least not until you've actually exercised your interpretation and done what is right!

This is not Stalag Singapore. You won't get hung for standing up for what you think is right. Nor is it Cathay Pacific, circa 1980. It isn't the best paid job, nor is it the worst.

The list of issues is long and challenging. But it doesn't get any shorter from the supposed help of moles on PPRuNe.

Meantime, make life work for you.

Take the jobs that're out there, now, paying better money, offering block days off, a REAL, workable plan, not to mention the type of responses from management that actually motivate the troops, not just reward them with better pay.

This is not a post about idealism. It's a realistic way to approach the crap being dished out. Don't just complain about it; do something constructive.

And if the company won't listen, at least you tried before leaving them to rot in their own faeces.

Several people have tried to do something constructive about the situation recently and not only have they got nowhere but the lack of reaction from rba to their representation has been sufficient to persuade others that they should be accepting job offers as well.

Some surprising resignations to come early in the new year so I believe.

Edited for spelling

Quite right TA.

I was one such person; had my recent rep. thrown back at me.

That's certainly a good enough reason to avoid the difficulty of going back for more. They say a measure of insanity is repeating the same actions time and again, even though the result is the same, but each time, anticipating a new outcome.

I mean, why should anyone get up when they've been knocked over time and time again?

Far easier to lie down and never get up, or even write glowingly, right here on the Genesis of change - PPRuNe, about how crap-****e things are and how, "We'd do better if only we were being asked what we thought."

Even more helpful, why not just brag about how you'll pack your bags and leave? That'll fix things.

Far better to turn your back when better (or should that be lesser?) men have failed where you are too frightened to try.

I say to hell with that.

Go in there, say your piece, while applying to other operators.

Don't take ****e lying down.

That way, if ever change for the better does come, you can be pleased it may have been a consequence of your own actions, not just a by-product of circumstance.

For one of my last as one on the inside banana boat.

It looks like the yang has finally shelved the A340 and any future plans for LHR/FRA direct services for the foreseeable future. SYD, TYO are not going ahead as planned. No mention as to why but current staffing/crewing levels were mentioned.

Just for you SN

Hey Slingsby, Who will turn off the window heats for me at LHR when you are gone?

Not me, I've got my own to turn off now!! :D

Thanks CM

Memories
 

Life as a journey, well said. There are many who have tried to bring your crewing system out of the stone age. No doubt Captain Kalwat will review the situation when he gets back from leave, and he will say "thats the way we have always done it and thats the way it will stay" Is there any other airline in the world where you cannot swop a roster line? Think not.

After reading this lot I conclude RBA makes "all" the mistakes that Gulf Air previously made 1975 onwards.
Even down to long haul 340 with reduced payloads.
Gf wasted mega bucks trying Bah /New York emptyish and did not much better when forced BAH/Cyprus refuel/NewYorkish.
Talk about history repeating itself, pass the back hander.

The word from the abode is that the A340 has been "deferred indefinitely" on direct instruction from HM!

Also the extra A319/320 order is rumoured to have been cancelled.

Can anyone in the abode confirm that Trolley is back in town.

Yes Trolley was supposed to be back sometime this week for a flying visit (excuse the pun)

Also A320 canx rumour quashed as rather evident in this picture.

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/459660/L/

Is there any chance of persuading Trolley to pick up the RBA baton once again. There is an FOM position vacant at least until the present incumbent returns in a year or so.

Spies in the abode say that everything is stretched to the limit in Flight Ops and Engineering. With another senior expat engineer imminent to jump ship, several Captains also set to go to pastures new and a new high crew/eng workload schedule been introduced is there enough capacity to cope?

400+ applications in response to the recent ad in Flight and hardly a nibble once terms and conditions were declared seems to say it all.

Is it really that bad?

I hear CAA are taking a close look at your FRA and AKL schedule as well.