Pilot protest forces Nok Air to cancel nine flights

[webfact]

Pilot protest forces Nok Air to cancel nine flights

BANGKOK: -- A protest by a small group of pilots has forced Nok Air to cancel nine flights on Sunday causing hundreds of passengers to be stranded at Don Meuang international airport.

Nok Air CEO Pathee Sarasin said that he had not talked with about 4-5 protesting pilots yet about the reason of their protest but he reckoned that it stemmed from their dissatisfaction with the company’s upgrading of the standard of aviation inspection management to be in line with EASA standard.

Mr Pathee admitted that he was totally unaware of the protest in advance and when he learned about it at about 3 pm he ordered officials concerned to inform the passengers and, at the same time, contacted the other airlines to help accommodate the affected passengers.

He further said that the protesting pilots chose to stop working on Sunday because they knew that most planes were fully booked.

He said that the company had offered options for the affected passengers: if they are unable to fly, the company will arrange for hotel accommodation for them; they can get refund for their tickets if they don’t want to fly; the company will try to find seats in the other airlines or arrange for cars to send them home.

The company will hold a meeting on Monday to discuss the problem with the protesting pilots, said Mr Pathee as he assured that there would be no abrupt cancellation of flights.

Earlier, the company attributed technical problem for causing the cancellation of nine flights which include the followings: Don Meuang-Khon Kaen-Don Meuang, Don Meuang-Hat Yai-Don Meuang, Don Meuang-Nakhon Si Thammarat-Don Meuang, Don Meuang-Surat Thani-Don Meuang, Don Meuang-Phitsanuloke-Don Meuang, Don Meuang-Phuket-Don Meuang and Don Meuang-Ubon-Don Meuang.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/150896


-- Thai PBS 2016-02-15

[gk10002000]

I would love to hear what exactly the pilots were complaining about? Not drinking xxx number of hours before flying? Number of hours of crew rest required? Having their personal baggage scanned and screened?

[Gsxrnz]

Maybe they're scared that the inspection will reveal their pilot licences were acquired through the Cornflake box method.

[MJKT2014]

1. >Nok Air CEO Pathee Sarasin said that he had not talked with about 4-5 protesting pilots yet about the reason of their protest

2. >but he reckoned that it stemmed from their dissatisfaction with the company’s upgrading of the standard of aviation inspection management to be in line with EASA standard.

3. >Mr Pathee admitted that he was totally unaware of the protest in advance and when he learned about it at about 3 pm

4. >He further said that the protesting pilots chose to stop working on Sunday because they knew that most planes were fully booked.

5. >The company will hold a meeting on Monday to discuss the problem with the protesting pilots, said Mr Pathee as he assured that there would be no abrupt cancellation of flights.

6. >Earlier, the company attributed technical problem for causing the cancellation of nine flights

If true, 6 reasons Nok Air will become the laughing stock of the airline business.

[cumgranosalum]

Yes - I would say the last person to ask would be the CEO. Wil it be like a normal work stoppage in other countries or will the "friends in high places" take over and sort the matter out to his advantage?

[johna]

BP says they walked out over increased auditing of aviation personnel, I guess that means they weren't up to scratch.

[cumgranosalum]

BP says they walked out over increased auditing of aviation personnel, I guess that means they weren't up to scratch.

Quite possible but that's only the management side and sets the scene conveniently for dismissal.

[raphoedon]

My information may be incorrect or slightly out of date but Thailand is one of the few countries where a pilot's licence can be granted without ever having taken off or landed in the dark or in the rain .

There are hundreds of pilots in Thailand who do not have the correct licence to fly outside of Thai air space .

The incident years ago in Koh Samui where the aircraft crashed into the tower was one example of when a pilot landed on a wet runway having never done so before.

[raphoedon]

As to the striking pilots I am not knocking them.?

[Rob13]

Another article that leaves the reader with more questions than answers.

[cumgranosalum]

My information may be incorrect or slightly out of date but Thailand is one of the few countries where a pilot's licence can be granted without ever having taken off or landed in the dark or in the rain .

There are hundreds of pilots in Thailand who do not have the correct licence to fly outside of Thai air space .

The incident years ago in Koh Samui where the aircraft crashed into the tower was one example of when a pilot landed on a wet runway having never done so before.

Yes, I have had some very disturbing (informal) conversations with airline pilots about various Thai airlines....... - but this isn't a new situation and one wonders why it suddenly is an issue......any new regs would have been seen coming for some time....as said it leaves more questions than answers.....

[animatic]

If these "pilots" are striking because of 'Safety Upgrades To International Standards',

then they are themselves part of the problem and need to be removed from the workforce,

and blackballed from the industry.

And good pilot worth his license should be 100% Pro-Safety without fail.

Any one not, should not be flying passengers commercially.

Edited February 15, 2016 by animatic

[Searat7]

Recent Airline Safety ratings showed Nok Air in a lower category than Orient Thai so I imagine the airline was taking steps to rectify this situation. It would seem that some of their problems are personnel related which is a bit scary.

[animatic]

My information may be incorrect or slightly out of date but Thailand is one of the few countries where a pilot's licence can be granted without ever having taken off or landed in the dark or in the rain .

There are hundreds of pilots in Thailand who do not have the correct licence to fly outside of Thai air space .

The incident years ago in Koh Samui where the aircraft crashed into the tower was one example of when a pilot landed on a wet runway having never done so before.

Yes, I have had some very disturbing (informal) conversations with airline pilots about various Thai airlines....... - but this isn't a new situation and one wonders why it suddenly is an issue......any new regs would have been seen coming for some time....as said it leaves more questions than answers.....

Too be fair,

I was 1 km from the airport during that incident,

on a motorcycle and bone dry

it was not very wet,

it was not raining,

But it was WINDY AS HELL, with a crosswind the ATR-72 didn't handle well.

It lifted the left wing up and when he corrected he went off angle.

It was not particularly because of rain on the tarmac.

Edited February 15, 2016 by animatic

[jacko45k]

I misread Nok AIr pilots strike ground and thought it much worse than near-missing a hospital!

[razer]

Huh??? Pilots go on strike because of upgrading inspection aviation management?

I don't think so.

[cumgranosalum]

If these "pilots" are striking because of 'Safety Upgrades To International Standards',

then they are themselves part of the problem and need to be removed from the workforce,

and blackballed from the industry.

And good pilot worth his license should be 100% Pro-Safety without fail.

Any one not, should not be flying passengers commercially.

if you believe that...the source is questionable and the details scant. It could just be a way of losing a few staff without pay-outs....all these airlines are run on excessively tight budgets and Thailand has very generous severance laws.

[Guemlum]

Would be interesting to see whether the other airlines pilots meet the required standard or whether this is just a Nok Air problem.

[Thai Dan]

Gentlemen, please! Do you not see the misdirection in the CEO's statements? The foreign Airworthiness Authorities have laid their findings right at the feet of management, not pilots. Pilots do not strike because they are asked to be safer, they are ON THOSE FLIGHTS TOO. The people who ARE NOT ON THOSE FLIGHTS, are management. As with any labor dispute the world over, one must be careful listening without objection to the people with the most direct access to the microphones. Just my two cent's worth.....

[Srikcir]

dissatisfaction with the company’s upgrading of the standard of aviation inspection management to be in line with EASA standard.

Standards that would allow the airline to operate outside of Thaialnd. The alternative is that most of the pilots will LOSE THEIR JOBS.

[Farang99]

I would love to hear what exactly the pilots were complaining about? Not drinking xxx number of hours before flying? Number of hours of crew rest required? Having their personal baggage scanned and screened?

Nok Air CEO Pathee Sarasin said that he had not talked with about 4-5 protesting pilots yet about the reason of their protest but he reckoned that it stemmed from their dissatisfaction with the company’s upgrading of the standard of aviation inspection management to be in line with EASA standard.

So they are scared that they will have to comply with international standards of inspection!

[klauskunkel]

Normally, when there is a pilot strike, it involves their union, all pilots of the airline are striking and the strike is announced beforehand. A unannounced "strike of 4-5" is not a strike, but a walk-out, immediate dismissal should be the solution.

[MotoX]

They're incompetent and about to be called out on it.

[spidermike007]

I wonder how much of this has to do with work conditions, safety issues and other factors, and how much of this has to do with pay. Thai companies are notorious for poor compensation. Here is a link for the attrition rate of pilots on Thai Airways, due to relatively low pay, compared to neighboring countries.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Thai-Airways-losing-pilots-over-pay-30241769.html

[Yann55]

Quote : Nok Air CEO Pathee Sarasin said that he had not talked with about 4-5 protesting pilots yet about the reason of their protest but he reckoned that it stemmed from their dissatisfaction with the company’s upgrading of the standard of aviation inspection management to be in line with EASA standard.

Now there's a priceless piece of corporate bs ...

1/ "4-5 protesting pilots" ... reminds me of the usual discrepancy, at the end of every demonstration, between the figures given by the police and those claimed by the organizers. And of something I read many years ago in a very funny book by Eric Malpass : 'lie until you're blue in the face, you will always be believed, sooner or later'.

2/ The CEO is twisting things in such a way that pilots are made to look like they're opposed to upgrading safety standards ... What a sick joke ! who will make us believe that when you're the guy flying those birds, you don't want to have the best possible safety protocole ?

One thing for sure, when you're the CEO of any company, you keep your high salary (and your position) by making the shareholders happy. How do you do that ? By paying the lowest possibles salaries, cutting down expenses in every possible way, especially where it doesn't show, and screwing the customer left and right.

I admire these pilots for going on strike, because in this country where pyramidal paternalism is in charge within 99% of the companies, people dare not go on strike. If you're brought up to believe that the boss is the corporate version of your Dad, in a culture where Dad is all-powerful, you don't want to make Daddy unhappy ...

Edited February 15, 2016 by Yann55

[Colabamumbai]

I am booked with them Sunday 21st, Khon Kaen to Don Muang, I hope the protest is over then.

[Thai Dan]

Normally, when there is a pilot strike, it involves their union, all pilots of the airline are striking and the strike is announced beforehand. A unannounced "strike of 4-5" is not a strike, but a walk-out, immediate dismissal should be the solution.

What you say is correct. However, the pilots did not make an announcement of any kind in any of the media sources that I can see, so who called it a strike? This appears to be more of a "sick-out" whereas a number of pilots called in sick, at least that is what the media is saying. Why doesn't management know whether is was 4 or 5 pilots, or more for that matter? Do we know how many pilots are actually involved? We know that there are 2 pilots in every aircraft on every flight. Did both pilots call in sick on each of the flights affected or only one of them? Are the pilots truly sick? Maybe, maybe they ate at the same restaurant and they really were sick. If fruit workers walk off the job, it is never a complete surprise to management, but that is what the CEO is telling us. My message, if you can call it that, is that what the CEO is saying publicly doesn't add up and that we need to here from the pilots before we can make any kind of informed judgement. In a twisted way I can see management wanting to send a preemptive message to the foreign airworthiness authorities that they (management) are doing their bidding, but those darn pilots are the real problem. I'm not buying it until I hear the other side's position.

[sawadee1947]

Nok Air CEO Pathee Sarasin said that he had not talked with about 4-5 protesting pilots

so, only 4-5 (I didn't know that there are 1/2 pilots ever) can bring down the whole airline? Amazing Thailand!

[Remi080]

The problem is that young pilots might erned there flight licence but have not enaugh flight hours to fly Int. by EASA standards.

So now they can loose there job if Nok Air get its licence and be checked by EASA. Because Thai airway own 49% of nok air they could keep young pilots, but next month Thai air will be checked by EASA standards, and there are not alowed to offer jobs to pilots with less than 200 FH. So the young pilots are screwd . Unless Nok Air keep flying without EASA approvement licence, and because Thai airway not let that happen ofcause, because they own 49% of Nok Air. So.... Yeah..... Who wants a coffee??

Oh before i forget...the flight license from Nok Air pilots are approved by Thai Airway, and so .... Lets say... On a scale of 100 pilots need to score 90 to 100 to fly for Thai Airway, but less earned points are good enough for Nok Air. Yes corrupt. And so.. Now both will be checked by EASA, so no one want to be screwed, specially not now mr PM is in America. But i guess i talk to much now. Btw. This was all a wild guess.

[Remi080]

Uhm, today will be a other strike, now that more pilots join from other provinces.

This was a guess again oke.