Good to see a balanced post Sasa. At the end of the day you do you research, make a decision and swim with it. Grass is always greener and in our profession we don’t have the flexibility to move companies every couple of years. Not everywhere suits everybody and once established it is hard to move. The profession & terms of conditions have changed markedly over the last few years and not for the better.

Great post, Sasa.

Three things to consider, when comparing EK to BA.

1) BA have never bonded anyone for a type rating. So join BA, do a 777, 787, 380 rating. (even a 320 rating!) Then just take that rating elsewhere after 3 months, if you don’t like BA. Can you do that at EK?

2) BA pilots are about to go on strike, because they don’t think management are playing ‘fair’. What’s the ‘remedy’ at EK, should you as an individual, or you as a pilot group have a ‘disagreement’?

3) Full time LH anywhere, these days is on an ever steepening slide to being unsustainable. Part time working does at least offer an opportunity to ameliorate the effects on your life expectancy, whilst maintaining a work/life balance.

But if you think the more money in your pay packet, the happier your life, then just go and live in the desert, or China.

It ain’t rocket science!

Interesting times have come around again at EK. Whilst I believe that Flt Ops management have been instrumental in convincing the higher level management to take a more mature approach to flight safety (i.e. a screw up out on line does not result in a final warning or dismissal) they have found a new avenue to stoke fear in the pilot contingent - the attendance monitoring, or competency, warning.

This comes, in an unpublished and unverifiable manner, by the way of 4 levels, a chat and then level 1 through 3. This is all related to sickness, or in EK computer speak, ‘attendance’.

If one has been off sick for a predetermined number of days (the rumour is 6) within the last 12 months, whether certified by an AME or not, then the process begins. They are currently handing these warnings out like sweeties. Examples such as: pre-approved time off for surgery by the company, resulting in a warning for absence 6 months later. Industrial injury whilst at work with associated time off, a warning some months later. With no exaggeration, 75% of the colleagues I have flown with, or talked to, the past month are somewhere on this scale. I understand that level 2 delays the command, and subsequent sickness whilst on level 3 (EVEN IF AME CERTIFIED!) results in dismissal.

The hypocrisy of approving time off for surgery and then following up with a warning letter for absence is breath taking. So much so, that one can only conclude that this is a missive from up high.

So whilst the merits and strength of BALPA can be debated as nauseum, the simple protection of rights in the workplace by virtue of legislation is something that just does not exist here.

This, IMHO, is the next latent threat and hole in the Helvetic Fromage that is institutional in working in this part of the world. The problem is, that the pay has not kept up with the mercenary ideals of those who have come here. Ergo, the cake has gone, as has the spoon.

At least the rosters have eased off a bit....

Be warned.

And most of these decisions are made by British managers!!!

All very true, attendance warnings thrown around as confetti even if certified, in order to form a paper trail for future possible actions, including dismissal.

As for the rosters easing off........... I beg to differ !