Aer Arann exodus....has started

[Black Pudding]

Qatar are also accepting Second Officers through a Second Officer Fast Track scheme. Reduced wage until line checked then they become First Offcers on First Officers rates

Flight Deck Crew Requirements | Qatar Airways

That guy who left you for here is doing ok

[FRAMEX]

A strike is just what this company needs!! During the recent spate of base meetings there was a very poor turn-out. This is because the muppet known as JH goes around with the CEO and people are afraid to speak out with him there as he is a known and proven liar, and if someone makes him look bad then there will be reprecussions.

Our so called Joint Representative Group recently lost their best asset who resigned due constantly beating his head against a brick wall, and getting nowhere. His colleague from the same base said he too would also stepdown but hasnt as of yet. This "colleague" also has the best roster in the company and if one of his standby's gets changed to actually working(oh the humanity!!!), then he is straight away on the blower to JH to get it changed. It would seem that JH has installed this guy as his puppet. God knows what he is giving to management.

And whatever happened to the chief pilots 25,000euro bonus?? Guess with all the guys leaving there will be another one this year with all the type ratings sold. This "chief" is just another muppet who's strings are being pulled by JH.

Nothing has changed since examinership and nothing ever will until JH and his cronies are gone.

Aircraft are in very poor condition. One had been flying around with a cracked wing spar!! One had a cracked rear bulkhead and couldnt pressurise. You write up a fault in one airplane and the faulty part gets swapped onto another aircraft for "trouble shooting" which is fair enough but then it gets swapped again into another plane for more "trouble shooting", which to me sounds illegal.

Constant pressure on guys to operate with minimum fuel. Our glorious Chief Pilot almost had to divert one morning flying gwy-dub because he departed with min fuel was told to expect holding but didnt have the fuel for it!!! Luckily he got vectored or he would have looked like a right tit on the ground in BFS!! But hes worth the bonus!!

[propburner]

Lasest management brainstorm is another name and corporate change to Aer Arann Regional, more stickers and paint for the ageing fleet. This is the best the management can come up with Aer Arann Regional, Just last friday 4 aircraft tech 2 aircraft needing engines so more canx flights and people wondering will they get home for the weekend. Aer Lingus won't stand for much more of this.........ah sure the management too busy with stickers and paint schemes.
The JRG was just a company way of proving to staff that we do take concerns onboard, I would say the minutes were trown in bin as soon as the reps left the room after a meeting, a complete joke and nothing came from the 3 years of it operating. Nothing has changed since examinership because they have not got a clue how to run a airline, muppets the lot of them the IAA would have a fied day in this place,serious change is needed at the top before we have another serious accident on this island.

[propburner]

They had the big ideas 5 years ago with there order for 10 x ATR 72-500 got 5 sold one to golden air and renaged on the contract for the rest, I am sure that alone cost them, then thay go and lease ex delta buckets of ****e hence engine failure last friday and a bunch of 42's that have not seen a lick of paint for about 10 years and look like it also, they must have paid off the examiner as the courts did not have a clue what was going on even the staff found out more in the press than from there management. Time to bursh off the dust from the cv and start looking because its comming to a end sooner than later.

[123 O'Leary]

Hey Accelalt - 'a source close to the company' tells me one of your
middle 'managers' is leaving having been head hunted by
Burger King!
This will no doubt leave a vacancy for somebody currently on 'French
Fries' to take over!

[meggriffin]

Well I'm off!! Have been looking for the last year. The place has really gone downhill in the time I have been here. Planes in very poor nick, Crew shortages, and a blame culture. Piss poor pay and no thanks.

[Schultz_IT]

What a load of old dribble. Ive never heard such a bunch of moaning old Sheilas in all my life.
You boys are forgetting to grasp the fact that pilots are 2 a penny these days. If you dont like it pizz off and leave a new boy/girl a chance at a career.
And fellas grow a pair of balls and say whats on your mind at CEO meetings.
This all huff and no puff craic is petty.

[bia botal]

You boys are forgetting to grasp the fact that pilots are 2 a penny these days

actually fellow you couldn't be more wrong, there is fast developing a massive shortage of experianced pilots, perhaps you should delete your post and take yourself back to "0" posts.

[tonystark]

Nice to see someone bringing a counter argument however the tone and in particular the attitude as pilots being 2 a penny reflect the mindset of management which is the reason this thread existed in the first place!
I don't think that concerns over mid level flying turbo props in a polar maritime region with multiple defects constitutes moaning. I am also very sure that any person brave enough to speak at one of these so called CEO meetings would would see their live become very difficult if the animated response of Mr S to a simple question over an illegal pay cut was anything to go by.
And yes, junior First Officers are easy to come by, the same cannot be said for ATR captains, especially good ones and they are not easy to find without paying top dollar for contractors, the majority of whom would come nowhere the place as the reputation of the Airline with the contractor community is in ruins...... Yes they all talk to each other.

[FRAMEX]

Take one look at Manx2 Operation then imagine it in an ATR and there you go. Accidents waiting to happen.

[FRAMEX]

Not counting the recent catastrophic engine failure in Bristol, how many serious incidents/accidents have AerArann had? And why is the IAA and AerLingus turning a blind eye, or do they know?????

[JSCL]

Oh they know. Aer Lingus needs to spread it's wings (if you'll pardon the pun).

Aer Lingus being gvmt controlled is in a constant uphill struggle - whether it be Ryanair's takeover threats and gvmt funding issue or whatever else they face. Aer Arann is a safety net - allowing them to meet quotas to satisfy the gvmt and other shareholders and make better margins on the long haul routes with their fleet.

No doubt they know - but imagine Aer Arann becoming the national airline? I'd pity the country if it did.

[mave292]

TO MR SCHULTZ IT

I hate to burst ur bubble pal but pilots are not 2 to a penny theses days and the large middle east carriers are proving that. Thats a typical not give a **** management attitude and yes you might be able to get new BOYS AND GIRLS who are willing to hand out another 25k for a turboprop rating just after handing out 50-60k for their training but its the experienced Captains and First Officers in Aer Arann have the ability to land in **** conditions, at **** airfields and on **** nights using non precision approaches and are willing to go and "have a look and see if you get in". You might also say that Aer Arann pilots are "overpaid", which is an insult, but these people earn their money on days and nights like this. And i wont even start with an engine failure, you try climbing out of an airport with high ground around it which a single engine on an ATR climbing at 700 fpm (if ur lucky and throw in some icing conditions for the laugh and no doubt an MEL item which seems to be the norm) and no disrespect to the BOYS AND GIRLS that you can get but i have my doubts if you would see that aircraft in one piece again. MR SHULTZ IT i really doubt Aer Arann could survive a crash as a company as survival at the best of times seems a challenge. Pilots are professionals and no matter what the Aer Arann management opinion is they need to be paid as PROFESSIONALS just like doctors, lawyers, AIRLINE MANAGEMENT etc .... And i would have no problem pointing this out at your CEO meetings because i'm sure the majority of people dont want another Transaer, EU JET or EIRJET, seems to be a bit of a trend here !!! its the mismanagement of the airlines that seems to bring them down, not the pilots

[Dio]

To anyone thinking of joining Aer Arann

Take a look at Schultz It's comments above. Think to yourself do I really want to give this guy 25k for a type rating? No guarantee of a job and IF i do get one, i'll be flying around in ****boxes ready to fall out of the sky anytime!! I know wannabe's are desperate for their first job but come on, Save yourself a step on the ladder, get a jet rating and your career will be better served!!

[missing byte]

so you are not an aer arann employee?

[mave292]

And certainly not a member of Arann management if thats the case, i'd buy and sell you twice over Schultz IT ..... go on back to the side of runway 28 with your anorak and scanner

[FRAMEX]

Wasnt Shutz and this team of elite managers he has at the moment, in charge of eirjet??? What happened to them? And werent they also in charge on Transaer??? What happened to them? If you dont learn from past mistakes nothing is going to change. The only ones who are going to benefit from this is Shutz and his management monkeys. And yes monkeys is a good description of them, because when things go wrong all they can do is throw faeces at each other. Oh and they are happy its not uncommon to see them sitting in a row picking the ticks off each other.

[Papa2Charlie]

Management Bashing

Folks,

Can we please take stock of things here for a moment :

1. Aer Arann is operating primarily in a small country which has had to resort to an EU/IMF bailout. What is it exactly that you're expecting from them? I realise it's a crap situation to work in a place where the wages have dropped but you need to maintain a realisation of the commercial environment. I don't agree with management getting a hike and the staff getting zero but you need to focus on what the company can sustain in the present environment rather than focusing on what you can achieve in another country working for another airline. In short, your expectations need to be realistic to the deals on offer. If not, then you either need to lower the expectations or change employment. This is true for all of us in the aviation industry, not just pilots.

2. With regard to the TRE/TRI/Captian/SFO leaving debacle then you need to think of every other company around. If any company's middle management (let's assume SFO's and experienced Captains for this argument) leave, then the company is knackered. Let's not pretend that Aer Arann is less or more susceptible to the loss of middle management types than any other company.

3. Questions have been raised about the current RE management in the past (myself included) but ultimately the actual question is "What would YOU do different?" It's all well and good complaining about the management but I have yet to see a single idea on this thread which offers any ideas about how the airline should proceed other than increasing it's cost base which will ultimately result in the staff seeking jobs elsewhere.

4. The technical condition of the A/C has been raised several times here. Can someone please confirm whether or not they are being operated outside of the manufacturer's recommendations and limitations? If so, please do your duty and report these to the authorities (IAA / CAA). If not, then please be mindful of the fact that the airline is exercising it's privileges as granted by the manufacturer to dispatch with certain items inoperative. With regard to engine reliability, I can assure you from personal experience that an engine can let go at any point in its life and generally in a situation you would prefer it held together.

In short, this post is aimed at bringing a little more rigour to the debate over Aer Arann and developing ideas amongst this community as to how to develop and improve the operation not just for the employees but also for the customers of the company who are keeping the airline going.

Brgds,

P2C.

[The real examiner]

Papa2Charlie, a very good post that highlights some of the realities that the airline faces. It is true that this thread has involved a lot of complaining without raising any solutions. I will endeavor to provide some suggestions whilst still raising concerns and elaborating on existing gripes of the flight crew.

1 The gravity of the economic situation is not lost on any of us and most of us expected a deterioration in pay. The problem is the manner in which the current contracts and agreements were unceremoniously disregarded and no effort was provided to find any loopholes in the tax system to help crews some of which have been placed in very precarious financial situations. Lack of a real pay structure has left a situation where a year 4 Captain earns little more than a new 200 hr F/O , this one point has led to a lot of very upset Captains who are actually suffering for their loyalty. A reward system would have lessened the impact and increased productivity. You would find people much more willing to work on a day off if the financial rewards were as you say realistic. The major problem most have with the working days off is the company expected and demanded loyalty without giving anything in return.

2 virtually every pilot I have spoken to has applied elsewhere, some speak with a sense of desperation to leave, most cite pay as one of the lesser reasons. The terms and conditions, poor communication and lack of respect shown towards captains are all reasons but the lack of direction of the company is the major one. Some truly daft decisions have been made from above wasting massive cash. The arrogant attitude of "we don't recognize unions" while every day taking advantage of the fact there is no union, that won't have a happy ending.

3 It's not a case of "what would we would different" more a case of what we wouldn't do. Aer Arann Regional?? WTF!!! Don't tell me you are planning to call the operation from Southend Aer Arann UK or Europe? Is this the best Andrew Kelly can come up with?? He really is earning the nice Lexus parked outside. I don't even want to think about the cost of this farce. Firstly in order to compete in the UK market a complete re branding is necessary, and the argument that it's too difficult to break the UK is not good enough. The Irish market is dead (for the foreseeable future) A concerted effort is needed and not the half assed attempt that was the Luton base. The problem with management is they stretch too far with too little. The 42's must be ditched they are an insult to the passenger who can pay half the fare on a new 737 and the recent sight of BYO flying Aer Lingus pax from Shannon was a disgrace. If reducing the fleet in order to improve quality leads to lay offs then so be it, either do it right or not at all. Leasing those dreadful 72 212's backfired worse than the engine in BRS and showed a lack of forward thinking, yes 500's would have cost a lot more but one cannot put a price on the improved passenger experience, reliability and importantly ensuring the security of the shamrock deal. The slow death endured by Galway and Waterford is terrible to watch as the customer has suffered so much. Nearly every flight is delayed and Southend is all well and good but the public don't get what they want the slide in pax numbers has been spectacular.

4 The technical condition is getting worse and is not being helped by our operations department showing a lack of respect and understanding when a Captain refuses to take an aircraft with an inop autopilot and yaw damper. descending to bulling tactic's as they view such things as GPS and pressurization as a luxury and not a necessity. Yes it is legal to dispatch with items in accordance with the MEL but it is happening far too much and factor in all the other challenges in this operation the holes are lining up. Saying it was legal after the incident has happened won't cut it with the media.
I couldn't include everything such as the hire care situation etc but I hope I've gone some way to providing a clear picture as to our concerns we cannot voice as we have no proper representation. Unfortunately we are only as strong a sour weakest and we have many "weak links" The guys that complain of fatigue after working days off 3 weeks in a row. Ironically many of these individuals plan on remaining but their actions will destroy their future T's and C's. The company exploit their goodwill. One such genius went 3 hours in to discretion last week.... not smart.. not safe.
In closing commercial pressure should never outweigh safety. Papa2Charlie can you hand on heart say the company culture as it stands reflects this?

[propburner]

Another postholder has decided to jump from the sinking ship this is the second in the matter of a 2 weeks. Ground Ops and now Quality, what do these people know that the rest of us in Aer Arann DON'T?????