Emirates Parking Planes

[blues deville]

Not enough pilots. 

http://newsinflight.com/2018/05/02/emirates-to-park-46-planes-due-to-shortage-of-pilots-and-decreased-seasonal-demand/

[rudder]

Open up offshore pilot bases or watch the trend continue.

[blues deville]

https://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2018/04/30/emirates-is-storing-over-45-planes-in-the-next-few-months/

[dagger]

If business was booming and expanding at the pace of a decade ago, they'd find the pilots because they would pay through the nose for them. The UAE carriers are having a hard time of it. And the protectionists have their eye on how they are funded.

[DEFCON]

The situation at Emirates is just the tip of the iceberg.

Any carrier that isn't thinking way out and making plans to get ahead of the pilot supply side problem is almost certain to fail.

The smart suits will have already recognized the growing shortage of 'qualified' pilots for what it means moving forward and are revising their growth strategies accordingly. It would appear that Emirate's didn't see the giant weakness in their plan, which is now biting them in the butt and may even bring the Company down before the supply side problem ever stabilizes.

Domestically, aircraft with fewer than 130 seats probably have no future and will mostly be parked five years from now. Carriers will also have to resort back to the 'milk run' style of operations.

Finally, all the shortage related economic carnage that's coming to at least this industry will be the product of the mba's strategy to place dividends and the value of shares ahead of long term corporate health. In return for this dead end strategy, they continue to reward themselves through a number of 'executive retention bonus programs' and probably laugh all the way to their banks.

In fact, management has been playing the 'short term gain for long term pain' game since the sham bankruptcy era ended. Funny thing, but every single industry stakeholder lost out save and except the suits.

Now the  ride is coming to an end and once again, someone / everyone other than they will be left to pay the bill.

However, we should always expect the unexpected from government. If ever there was a time for industry to push and gain regulator approval of the 'single pilot assisted by an aspiring cadet' approach to crewing airliners, it's now.

What a completely dangerous circus!

 

 

 

  

[internet]

What are you talking about?  Every single industry stakeholder lost out?  Delta alone paid out $5 Billion dollars in profit sharing over the last five years.  Seems to me pilots, FAs and ramp people did okay

[DEFCON]

I don't recall, but I'm pretty certain the overall pilot wawcon went backwards in bankruptcy. 

A for instance in the case of pensions:

https://www.pbgc.gov/news/press/releases/pr07-09

January 5, 2007

WASHINGTON-The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) today announced that it has become trustee of the Delta Air Lines Inc. Pilots Retirement Plan, taking over the responsibility for paying pension benefits to more than 13,000 active and retired pilots. The action has no effect on the separate Delta Air Lines Inc. Retirement Plan, which the airline is continuing to sponsor for other employees.
The pension plan for pilots is underfunded by about $3 billion, with $1.7 billion in assets to cover more than $4.7 billion in benefit liabilities. Of the $3 billion in underfunding, the PBGC estimates that it will be liable for almost $920 million, making the Delta pilots plan the sixth-largest claim in the agency's 32-year history. The plan ended as of September 2, 2006 and the PBGC became trustee on December 31, 2006.
Under federal pension law, the maximum guaranteed pension at age 65 for participants in plans that terminate in 2006 is $47,659.08 a year. At age 60, the maximum is $30,978.36. If the plan has sufficient assets, however, participants who are already retired or near retirement can receive more than the guaranteed amounts under the asset-allocation rules of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA).
Within the next several weeks, the PBGC will send trusteeship notification letters to all active and retired Delta Air Lines pilots. After the transfer of plan documents, the agency will review individual records and calculate each person's benefit according to plan provisions, asset allocation rules, and federal guarantee limits. Workers and retirees with questions may contact PBGC's Customer Service Center toll-free at 1-800-400-7242. For TTY/TDD users, call the federal relay service toll-free at 1-800-877-8339 and ask for 800-400-7242. General information about PBGC's pension insurance program is available at http://www.pbgc.gov.
The PBGC is a federal corporation created under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. It currently guarantees payment of basic pension benefits earned by 44 million American workers and retirees participating in more than 30,000 private-sector defined benefit pension plans. The PBGC receives no general tax revenue and is not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. Operations are financed largely by insurance premiums paid by companies that sponsor pension plans and by investment returns.

. 

[Moon The Loon]

Dammm. In the 1980's when Emirates set their bar at age 35, I didn't have the experience; in the 90's with the same bar, I became too old; in the naught's, the bar was higher (~45) but I had grown older again and was still too old; Post C3000, I had good contracts and did a lot of flying things unimaginable in my youth, but then I wanted to be home as, you guessed it, I was approaching retirement age, also the legal cut-off age for international ATPL holdings.

I saw this shortage coming and am now beyond the beyond as far as any contract work goes. I don't care so much anymore as I hold a domestic flying position that is age independent and I'm home ten months of the year. But the end is nigh!

What a shame though to say "good-bye" to such experience when the mind and the body are both still so fit (the mind maybe more so than the body!). But that is life.

Like a fellow poster who is now retired has said more than once - this is now your playing field youngsters: take your opportunities and make them work for you. But beware who is sitting beside you as their inexperience could be perilous to all. Maybe not with you, but when you too must retire and give your seat up to them.

[Trader]

The article is somewhat misleading in that it is only 10-20 aircraft a month over a period of several months. Not 45 at once. However, EK has had 8-12 parked for the last 18 months at least and that is just what is visible.

But EK never learns. They have a hugely experienced pilot base - or had, as it is rapidly dwindling. But short sighted management (both Arab and Western) pushed and pushed with deteriorating conditions. I flew 112 hours last Feb and 95 hours is average (though the managers would be quick to point out that is not 'every' month since you have vacation ). Most of these 'managers' stay for terms under 5 years so there is no incentive, other than their bonus, to keep pilots. They work in a culture where saving face is more important than anything else so the problems get swept under the rug.

They crashed an airplane over a year ago and have at least 6 major incidents in the last 18 months (some which made it public). Inexperience and long hours rearing their heads.

Canada is only now starting to see and attempt to deal with their shortage and are WAY behind the curve. The Chinese have been very proactive with high wages and increasingly adjusting contracts to meet the requirements of different pilots, ages and nationalities. Meanwhile in Canada the wages and conditions remain pathetic. I'm not sure what the managers here plan to do (if they have a plan at all) but it is going to cost them dearly either in a lack of pilots or an accident as they push less and less qualified people into seats, particularly the left seat.

[blues deville]

Trader, you say “Meanwhile in Canada the wages and conditions remain pathetic” but your pilots are working much harder than those in Canada. I know your days off are also scattered about each month.

[Trader]

blues - oh, no doubt!!!!! Which is why pilots are leaving and why I left myself. I decided to come back (for some of those poor wages ) for a multitude of reasons, the work schedule at EK being one reason.

[blues deville]

35 minutes ago, Trader said:

blues - oh, no doubt!!!!! Which is why pilots are leaving and why I left myself. I decided to come back (for some of those poor wages ) for a multitude of reasons, the work schedule at EK being one reason.

Roger that.

[Wolfhunter]

On 5/11/2018 at 10:52 PM, Moon The Loon said:

Dammm. In the 1980's when Emirates set their bar at age 35, I didn't have the experience; in the 90's with the same bar, I became too old; in the naught's, the bar was higher (~45)...

That was exactly my experience with them as well, I once missed a cutoff by one year.... they were relentless, no exceptions. I wonder how they feel about gray hair now? My goodness, this industry excels at self inflicted wounds. No more sharp objects for airline MBAs.

[blues deville]

Might want to park this one. Some tail dragger or a season of  float plane flying would smooth out that rudder control. I think they had it under control before the bounce.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=roS6oFjCDhc