Civil aviation pilots spoke of the “sinking feeling” they feel when they have to inform passengers of delays and cancellations.
The team loves their “dream” job, but has been at the forefront of British airline and airport timetables for months.
He said pilots are the “showcase” of the aviation industry, but too often they are the focus of headaches beyond their control.
This includes abusing angry passengers as they leave the airport, and the crew will alert the police when their temper boils.
According to analyst Cirium, major airlines canceled 17,000 flights within 72 hours of departure this year, but subsequently experienced many delays and lost baggage issues.
Although the worst of the turmoil seems to have passed, Heathrow airport is scheduled to reopen beyond the mid-October mark.
Tim, who works for a major UK carrier, said: “Disappointment is a term most pilots have for dealing with cancellations and delays.
“Most drivers will say the hardest part of our job is on the ground. You have to coordinate vacuums and catering services and work seamlessly with a lot of institutions on staff. I’m trying to get in.”
Pre covid it wasn’t a big deal except there were a few issues here and there but with post covid the lack of staff was frustrating.
“A lot of it is out of our control and the pilots can’t bring in extra ground crew, but we’re the ones putting on shows along the way and trying to apologize to the passengers.”
“For many passengers, I booked my vacation for the first time in three years, which is a shame for an airline showcase.
“Not all information is available on the front lines and sometimes we are in the dark like them. I feel like I am always apologizing, but in the last few weeks the situation has changed. I say it is getting better.” . “
Tim, who was speaking in an interview organized by the British Airways Pilots Association (BALPA), works day and night until 1pm. He has flown around Europe, the Mediterranean and the Canaries since he took flight in the commercial sector almost 10 years ago.
Away from the allure of palm trees and champagne, morning shifts can arrive as early as 5am and often return home by direct flight. According to Tim, the crew can stay at their discretion for a few hours to help passengers get to their destination.
If the flight is delayed or cancelled, the pilot will stay home for another hour. If he knows about the delay in advance while at the airport, he can wait in the crew lounge or on the plane.
The pilot called for a parody of Come Fly with Me by Matt Lucas on the BBC to explain how the world’s unstable weather keeps the crew speculating.
“Even if you rally your troops and transport passengers, you can hit the last hurdle,” he said.
“There may be slot delays that occur at air traffic control, etc. Ukraine doesn’t help because a lot of traffic goes through Germany and goes to Turkey in the Middle East. They usually pass through Russian territory.
“When you think you have fuel, catering, passengers and a show on the way, slot delays are another nuisance. When the last piece of the puzzle collapses, Matt Lucas and the coffee lady. There are days when it becomes like “.
In June, easyJet pilots needed to get off the plane to inform passengers that the flight to Egypt had been canceled even though the signal had reached the cabin door.
There were other reports of ground and aviation staff facing attacks and abuse from passengers amid huge queues and lost luggage.
“Even if you walk into the terminal, passengers who aren’t on a connecting flight may be upset that the flight has been cancelled,” Tim said.
“I don’t know why other flights were cancelled. I don’t know anything unless it’s in my company. I’m very frustrated because there are problems like lack of water, so I’ll take it to the staff I first saw. In extreme cases, the pilots had to call the police, which became a semi-regular event due to the delay this summer.
“As drivers, we are very good at climbing these situations. Communication is important and of course people lose their vacation due to dizzying delays with little information.
Pilots face many problems when canceling a flight. The deciding factor is whether or not the passenger is on board.
“There’s definitely a sinking feeling when the time comes where you finally have to unplug in flight,” Tim said.
You should also be aware of social networks and the news.
“Your words can be twisted and used against you, so even if you want to have it, you know you can’t give all the information.”
Originally from Manchester in his thirties, Tim still enjoys the hustle and bustle of flying as soon as the plane’s wheels are removed.
“Flying is my dream job,” he said.
“The funnest part is usually the landing. There’s a lot of mental math and pre-planning with the weather, negotiating with air traffic and getting adrenaline pumping.
It feels great to land a 150-ton plane on the ground that flew 3,000 miles at 160 mph.
“You did the job, you had a good feeling and I hope the passengers will thank you.”
BALPA members believe management and staffing issues must be addressed for the network to run smoothly this summer.
Operators and airports due to delays were unable to recover staffing levels to meet post-Covid holiday demand.
However, Tim also cited the government’s failure to check the ticket as a delay after reporting that it would take more than 90 days to issue a security clearance to new hires.
“Our carriers and airlines really need to work together to find a solution. There are a lot of backlogs on things like tickets that set the government back,” he says.
“The government has handled this issue very well. In December, BALPA called for a winter resilience fund when the aviation industry holiday ended, but there were still major restrictions and many employees were laid off. I did.
“We demanded financing and the government did not want to do that.
“It is a shame to ask for this in December, but now we are seeing the results. I think the government can do more to speed up the process of getting people’s identification cards.
But in the end, the situation is gradually improving.
As the peak summer season approaches, Tim will become a reliable man for a job that still has its benefits, despite the distant memories of the Pan-American era.
“It’s a shock to some people to find out that we usually fly back there the same day,” he said.
Like a normal shift, do this four times, maybe five times a week.
“It’s lost a bit of its charm over the years, but it’s still top-notch work that works, and people always ask you.
“Delays happen daily, but the delays are decreasing and there is light at the end of the tunnel.”
A Ministry for Transport spokesman said: “We did everything we could to support the aviation industry, including providing £8bn to protect jobs during a pandemic, but now at our airport. continue.
To help you get back on your feet, we’ve launched a 22-point plan that includes a quick homeland security clearance check to help airlines expedite staffing.
* Tim was speaking under a pseudonym
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Source: Metro
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