The ultimate EK J class experience - you will not believe this :confused:
Aug 2, 2018, 5:31 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: UAE
Programs: EK Platinum
Posts: 47
The ultimate EK J class experience - you will not believe this :confused:
Hi all,
i am flying since about 7 years with EK regularly (EK Gold). With FZ twice a week.
Though you guys might be interested what I experienced during the KBL-DXB flight this week on EK. They send a 777 2 Class configuration.
I was one of the last people boarding this flight and had to use the washroom. My suit jacket I left on the chair beside me (2B) with my boarding pass on top so the crew could hang it.
We were 35 in J. Beside me was nobody. When I came from the washroom the jacket was gone. So I thought they took it.
The blanket in the plastic foil still packed I put beside my feet under the window half between the fuselage and the seat. The crewmember after the security briefing walked by and said stressed out. “excuse me put that blanket from the floor” and walked off.
I was surprised about that. But didn’t take t seriously. After departure the purser came and said hi, welcome.
Ca 10 min later everyone got their drink. I was ignored. The crew seemed to be in stress. Running back and forth. Another 10 min later meal service started. People around me got their tray cover. After a few min I was able to catch someone. I told her that nobody asked me for drink or food. She said:”what you want?” I said: prawns and then lamb please”. She said oh i think you was one of the last people boarding. ok.” 5 min later she came with the food. On her way back I asked her : can I have a water with ice and lemon please? She went and brought it 10 min later. She handed Over the Glas to me so far that I could hardly reach it. Not looked at me, nothing. And then she run away. I started to feel really uncomfortable.
Sitting close to the galley I could onserve the panic everyone was in. Never saw this in all those years. It was super chaos. I myself felt also stressed out. 25 min passed when the purser came by with wine. I asked him if they were short today by a crew member or why everyone is so much in panic.
He tome me that no all is fine. Then i told him that I don’t believe so as everyone finished the dinner but I was wondering where the breadbasket would be as nobody came around with it. He left me without any comment and 10 min (ca 25 min after the food was served and everyone finished eating) someone came around with the bread basket.
After further 10 min the crew started to collect the trays. (Yes in J we got trays with the coffee mug and sugar already on it). When the crew member came to collect mine I told her that I would like to get the cheese platter. She goes:” do you want to take your cutlery so you can use it with the cheese platter?” Me surprised: “Normally the cheese platter comes with fresh cutlery”. She stressed out took the tray and went without further comment.
They guy on 2 C beside me ordered a refill of his red wine with the cheese platter. Please see the picture enclosed how she filled up the glass. I was really shocked.
Before landing and after the seatbelt sign illuminated again panic. Running around telling people to up their seat etc.
After arriving at the gate I stood up to look for my suit jacket as nobody brought it. Only to find it on seat 3B behind me. The crew member before departure took it and put in on seat 3B instead of hanging it. I was really upset.
What happens then is a perfect example for the whole flight. After landing (flight time: 2:20 hrs) the purser said: welcome in Dubai where the local fjne is 07:45 pm........pause pause pause . ohh. 06:45 pm.
I love flying also with EK but never i wished the flight to just be over as fast as possible like on that day.
Purser said he is 15 years with EK. Didn’t feel like it. All was simply out of control.
Horrible.
Wine glass after it was refilled by EK crew :-)) the guy needed to really focus when he took the first sip to not have the red wine all over him
i am flying since about 7 years with EK regularly (EK Gold). With FZ twice a week.
Though you guys might be interested what I experienced during the KBL-DXB flight this week on EK. They send a 777 2 Class configuration.
I was one of the last people boarding this flight and had to use the washroom. My suit jacket I left on the chair beside me (2B) with my boarding pass on top so the crew could hang it.
We were 35 in J. Beside me was nobody. When I came from the washroom the jacket was gone. So I thought they took it.
The blanket in the plastic foil still packed I put beside my feet under the window half between the fuselage and the seat. The crewmember after the security briefing walked by and said stressed out. “excuse me put that blanket from the floor” and walked off.
I was surprised about that. But didn’t take t seriously. After departure the purser came and said hi, welcome.
Ca 10 min later everyone got their drink. I was ignored. The crew seemed to be in stress. Running back and forth. Another 10 min later meal service started. People around me got their tray cover. After a few min I was able to catch someone. I told her that nobody asked me for drink or food. She said:”what you want?” I said: prawns and then lamb please”. She said oh i think you was one of the last people boarding. ok.” 5 min later she came with the food. On her way back I asked her : can I have a water with ice and lemon please? She went and brought it 10 min later. She handed Over the Glas to me so far that I could hardly reach it. Not looked at me, nothing. And then she run away. I started to feel really uncomfortable.
Sitting close to the galley I could onserve the panic everyone was in. Never saw this in all those years. It was super chaos. I myself felt also stressed out. 25 min passed when the purser came by with wine. I asked him if they were short today by a crew member or why everyone is so much in panic.
He tome me that no all is fine. Then i told him that I don’t believe so as everyone finished the dinner but I was wondering where the breadbasket would be as nobody came around with it. He left me without any comment and 10 min (ca 25 min after the food was served and everyone finished eating) someone came around with the bread basket.
After further 10 min the crew started to collect the trays. (Yes in J we got trays with the coffee mug and sugar already on it). When the crew member came to collect mine I told her that I would like to get the cheese platter. She goes:” do you want to take your cutlery so you can use it with the cheese platter?” Me surprised: “Normally the cheese platter comes with fresh cutlery”. She stressed out took the tray and went without further comment.
They guy on 2 C beside me ordered a refill of his red wine with the cheese platter. Please see the picture enclosed how she filled up the glass. I was really shocked.
Before landing and after the seatbelt sign illuminated again panic. Running around telling people to up their seat etc.
After arriving at the gate I stood up to look for my suit jacket as nobody brought it. Only to find it on seat 3B behind me. The crew member before departure took it and put in on seat 3B instead of hanging it. I was really upset.
What happens then is a perfect example for the whole flight. After landing (flight time: 2:20 hrs) the purser said: welcome in Dubai where the local fjne is 07:45 pm........pause pause pause . ohh. 06:45 pm.
I love flying also with EK but never i wished the flight to just be over as fast as possible like on that day.
Purser said he is 15 years with EK. Didn’t feel like it. All was simply out of control.
Horrible.
Wine glass after it was refilled by EK crew :-)) the guy needed to really focus when he took the first sip to not have the red wine all over him
Last edited by Andreaswil; Aug 2, 2018 at 5:40 pm
Aug 3, 2018, 3:15 am
#2
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: ISB
Posts: 747
I've heard from some EK crew (flight crew and cabin crew) that they don't particularly enjoy flying to KBL or PEW for safety reasons, so they do tend to get a little flustered during boarding and generally throughout the flight. I don't blame them seeing the safety record of both airports, but there's nothing much we can do.
If you fly the KBL-DXB route regularly and this is the first time you've experienced such service, I'd just let it pass. Don't want to get the crew in trouble, especially after the stories one reads on 'other forums'.
If you fly the KBL-DXB route regularly and this is the first time you've experienced such service, I'd just let it pass. Don't want to get the crew in trouble, especially after the stories one reads on 'other forums'.
Aug 3, 2018, 1:13 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: UAE
Programs: EK Platinum
Posts: 47
I've heard from some EK crew (flight crew and cabin crew) that they don't particularly enjoy flying to KBL or PEW for safety reasons, so they do tend to get a little flustered during boarding and generally throughout the flight. I don't blame them seeing the safety record of both airports, but there's nothing much we can do.
If you fly the KBL-DXB route regularly and this is the first time you've experienced such service, I'd just let it pass. Don't want to get the crew in trouble, especially after the stories one reads on 'other forums'.
If you fly the KBL-DXB route regularly and this is the first time you've experienced such service, I'd just let it pass. Don't want to get the crew in trouble, especially after the stories one reads on 'other forums'.
Yes I will let this go. But taking into consideration what you pay for this short flight, the service is just unbelievable bad.
Normally I am taking FZ twice a week as i need only 10 min to proceed through T2 in DXB, during EK can end in a long long walk through T3.
The service on FZ is much, much better. It’s a smaller airline and the staff is treated very differently for a start. They feel like a family and this reflects in their service. Food comes out of the same kitchen. So no big difference. The purser handles usually the 12 J seats alone which most of them do very professionally I must say. Now I can collect Skywards also with directly booking FZ. Awesome. I feel already for the ground staff in T2 who will have to explain to all the Skywards Silver and above why they can not use the lounge or business gate when flying in Y. :-)
i am using EK only on long haul flights where I usually only experiene great service.
Aug 3, 2018, 5:38 pm
#4
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Somewhere
Programs: AS MVP, EK Silver, Bonvoy Plat
Posts: 921
My guess is that they were shorted crew on the way out to KBL... I've read over at pprune and kanoo that they might beg and plead for a reserve if someone calls in sick but if they're short crew and there's no reserve, and the passenger/cabin crew ratio is legal they'll fly.
Aug 4, 2018, 2:59 pm
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: UAE
Programs: EK Platinum
Posts: 47
My guess is that they were shorted crew on the way out to KBL... I've read over at pprune and kanoo that they might beg and plead for a reserve if someone calls in sick but if they're short crew and there's no reserve, and the passenger/cabin crew ratio is legal they'll fly.
Aug 4, 2018, 11:26 pm
#7
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: DXB
Programs: EK, AA, DL, UA, SPG, HGP, Amex
Posts: 1,208
Agree FZ + T2 for shorthaul in the region is the way to go, especially if you can pay for Business.
Definitely only need 10 min to get out... including buying 5 bottles of wine.
Aug 8, 2018, 3:28 am
#10
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Asia / ME
Programs: EK Plat, OWE (BA), *A Gold (TK), EY Gold*
Posts: 129
Don't blame the crews....
For example - All F class flights are now being deployed with one less F class crew (i.e 2 now not 3 as before - a 33% reduction). This is easy to notice in a small cabin. There is also one less crew member in Y class on all flights. This is again noticeable (count them - and you will see crew now having to do multiple roles). Also, I recently flew on a 2-class A380 and I asked one of the crew where all the crew were - I was told that 2-class A380's now operated with less crew, including one less cabin supervisor....
They are having to fly more (much much much much much more than other airlines). They are exhausted and having to do more with fewer crew. EK is literally the only airline that deploys crew on ULH routes with barely 24-hour layovers. Cathay for example gives their crew a minimum of 3-days layover on ULR routes. EK gives 24-hours on ULR routes which works out less factoring in transfer times to/from aircraft and hotels. The notion crew do a 16-hour+ flight then have transportation time to/from airport to hotel etc means essentially their layover is less than 20hrs - it's nuts. Then they have to operate a 16-hour+ flight back to DXB. The permitted crew-rest mid-flight is also a fraction of that offered by other airlines. The crew are exhausted.
The simple fact is that crew are understaffed and under-rested (i.e. over tired). Ask them for yourself.
Frequently flights are departing with minimum crew (i.e. enough to cover the exit doors) and they are having to make do. Yet EK expect standards to be maintained when they don't have the required number of crew to do the job in hand - and don't allow their crew to be properly and adequately rested. Factor on top of this constant changes in service etc and on-board products (e.g. new booze / new menus etc) the crew cannot keep up. The customer-complaint culture at EK is also very different to that of other airlines meaning crew are operating under constant fear and threat of dismissal for being reported. Completely different to other (non ME3) carriers. Good luck trying to complain on Delta or BA for example - you'll be arrested.
The fact remains that the EK crews by-and-large do an amazing job (better than most crews) in very challenging and deteriorating conditions. And no, I am not EK cabin crew - I just fly a lot and observe what is happening.
Something has to give.....
Last edited by SimpleDXB; Aug 8, 2018 at 4:19 am
Aug 8, 2018, 5:41 am
#12
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: DXB
Programs: EK, AA, DL, UA, SPG, HGP, Amex
Posts: 1,208
At least cabin crew recruiting has been ramped up again with a lot of international open days.
Btw, I believe ULH destinations like US West Coast (15-16h flights) get 48hr layovers, though East Coast (e.g. JFK) gets only 24h. JFK is known to be a brutal work flight.
Aug 8, 2018, 12:01 pm
#13
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: United Kingdom
Programs: Skywards Blue :-(, HHonors Gold, SPG Gold, GHA Platinum
Posts: 2,531
20 hrs is not enough to recover after travelling through multiple time zones if you have been working .
My job sometimes involves being awake for 28-30 hours at a time (unpredictable)but I then get at least16-18 hrs rest time.
This is without travel and the time zone difference will definitely affect performance.
My job sometimes involves being awake for 28-30 hours at a time (unpredictable)but I then get at least16-18 hrs rest time.
This is without travel and the time zone difference will definitely affect performance.
Aug 8, 2018, 12:09 pm
#14
Ambassador: Emirates Airlines
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Manchester, UK
Posts: 18,615
That's pretty much industry standard as far as I know. I know the BA crew used to get around 24 hours on IAH flights. Arrive at the hotel about 17:00 and leave about 16:00 to get back to the airport. Not quite ULH, but still about 10 hours Westbound.
Aug 9, 2018, 12:53 am
#15
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: ISB
Posts: 747
PEW has also been attacked, and an aircraft from a local airline was shot at from the ground right before landing, after which EK, EY and QR temporarily suspended flights to PEW.