I've flown F 4 times in the past month between AUH-LHR and yes, this has been the norm during the strikes on the 789 aircraft. On our last flight LHR-AUH we couldn't fault the crew for their enthusiasm however we did wait over 2 1/2 hours for our starter from wheels up. The loads on 72/73 are usually light during the summer so I think with a cabin 7/8 full this exacerbated the delay.

Crew members were very forthcoming that they hadn't worked in F for years.