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Flying Emirates with pilot shortages worsening this summer
I am traveling to Mauritius and South Africa this summer and was about to book our flights in Business class with Emirates this weekend but after reading a few threads on different boards about the pilot shortages EK is facing, I am having second thoughts and wonder how those of you who frequently fly EK and through DXB view this situation.
Besides the safety issue which might or might not be "real" there could also be issues with last minute cancelled or changed flights. One of the reasons I wanted to fly EK is because I never have and have been told to definitely choose EK's A380 service over another airline. The other airline option currently being Turkish on the A330-300 to MRU which of course is not as 'flashy' as the A380 with the on-board bar and better seats, however it here is a change in aircraft by EK, I might end up on the 777 2-3-2 configuration anyway which is probably similar to TK's 2 - 2 - 2 on the A330. Reading aviation forums about this issue, including pilot's comments, it sounds like it's getting very serious but I always like to take comments with a grain of salt since EK has 100's of flights daily and personally can't imagine a complete melt down but again, I am not in the UAE and don't know if the actual sittuation actually is as dire as portrait by almost everyone. Would love to hear from those who fly frequently on EK and how they view this whole issue and does it affect your choice of airline in your future travel plans. |
I wouldn't worry
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I'm not tuned into the EK situation specifically, but when I hear "pilot shortage" my concern is flight delay and cancellation, not safety.
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Originally Posted by Gig103
(Post 29775014)
I'm not tuned into the EK situation specifically, but when I hear "pilot shortage" my concern is flight delay and cancellation, not safety.
There have been lots of discussions, including by pilots about this reduction since other airlines' rule is to have at least 4 for flights over 12 hours. I am an airline enthusiast but honestly know very little about the 'real' situation as well as pros and cons of this cut and I can only go by what others, including those flying aircraft, are saying about this. From what I have read, pilots at EK seem to already fly longer hours than pilots from other airlines and are concerned about fatigue issues. |
If you read enough of pprune you would never want to fly again!
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Originally Posted by sydtogla
(Post 29775395)
If you read enough of pprune you would never want to fly again!
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Frequently fly EK J to Mauritius. Last trip we considered flying Turkish J as it was much cheaper but in the end opted to stay with EK.
Later that month TK cancelled a flight to Mauritius. Don't even consider Air Mauritius (MK) They are always cancelling flights due to the ongoing disputes with air crew, cabin crew and tech problems with aircraft. They have a chronic shortage of pilots. |
Although the pilot shortage has mainly manifested in regional flight cancellations in the U.S., the largest Persian Gulf carrier, Emirates, is reportedly ready to park 18 percent of its fleet. Airline Geeks says Emirates will also reduce pilot staffing on long-haul flights and that its deployment of pilots might be part of the reason it’s having trouble attracting them. The website says the airline will idle 36 Boeing 777s and 10 A380s by July and it’s cut the frequency of flights to some destinations and eliminated flights to others. The site reports Emirates pilots are well paid but Chinese airlines are offering signing bonuses of up to $300,000 and allowing pilots to commute to work from anywhere in the world. Working conditions at Emirates are also part of the problem. Emirates pilots work 90 hours a month and the crew rest requirements of its aviation regulators in the United Arab Emirates are more lax than in most countries. That means the airline will be able to start staffing 12-hour and longer flights with three pilots instead of four. Plans are to operate three-pilot crews to Rio de Janeiro, Boston, Sydney, Sao Paulo, New York and Melbourne starting July 1. Pilots also reportedly don’t like the work schedule. Most flights leave between midnight and 4 a.m., meaning their circadian rhythms are frequently out of whack. |
Originally Posted by Jeff767
(Post 29782574)
Although the pilot shortage has mainly manifested in regional flight cancellations in the U.S., the largest Persian Gulf carrier, Emirates, is reportedly ready to park 18 percent of its fleet. Airline Geeks says Emirates will also reduce pilot staffing on long-haul flights and that its deployment of pilots might be part of the reason it’s having trouble attracting them. The website says the airline will idle 36 Boeing 777s and 10 A380s by July and it’s cut the frequency of flights to some destinations and eliminated flights to others. The site reports Emirates pilots are well paid but Chinese airlines are offering signing bonuses of up to $300,000 and allowing pilots to commute to work from anywhere in the world. Working conditions at Emirates are also part of the problem. Emirates pilots work 90 hours a month and the crew rest requirements of its aviation regulators in the United Arab Emirates are more lax than in most countries. That means the airline will be able to start staffing 12-hour and longer flights with three pilots instead of four. Plans are to operate three-pilot crews to Rio de Janeiro, Boston, Sydney, Sao Paulo, New York and Melbourne starting July 1. Pilots also reportedly don’t like the work schedule. Most flights leave between midnight and 4 a.m., meaning their circadian rhythms are frequently out of whack. |
Originally Posted by DYKWIA
(Post 29782623)
"But as April came to a close, that began to take a turn. Various media outlets began to report the airline would begin parking planes at Dubai World Central Airport, including 36 777s and 10 A380s over the course of three months. That, in total, represents 18 percent of the Emirates fleet and a huge setback for the airline." There will be 46 parked, but not all at the same time from what I can see. Some are in for maintenance, and will return. The chart previously quoted showed a maximum of 20 parked concurrently - but I'm not sure if that is still up to date. |
What they need to do is look at the overlapping routes with FlyDubai and cancel the EK flights and shift those pilots to where FD doesn’t operate to to try and minimize the impact.
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The J class on Emirates A380 is a great product but I had the misfortune on one leg to end up with the 777 in 2-3-2 and would do my level best to avoid it again.
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Originally Posted by amnicoll
(Post 29789263)
The J class on Emirates A380 is a great product but I had the misfortune on one leg to end up with the 777 in 2-3-2 and would do my level best to avoid it again.
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Originally Posted by skywardhunter
(Post 29789341)
Related to pilot shortages how?
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Originally Posted by XXTSGR
(Post 29789384)
Shortage of pilots rated on the A380? |
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