Cabin crew deployment

[Dickson]

Learnt of this recently from some cabin crew :
I'd always assumed that on long haul flights, the crew gets to stay a couple of days, then return. Apparently on some flights to Europe (including destinations with high frequency like London), SIA is flying 2 sets of crew at any one time. One set works, the other set is flown there as passengers. They stay just 1 night and the very next day, they are fly back. The first set now gets flown as passenger, while the second set works.

Apparently this arrangement co-exists with the traditional 1 set of crew + couple of days rest arrangement.

Anyone heard of this before?

[CarbonMan]

Learnt of this recently from some cabin crew :
I'd always assumed that on long haul flights, the crew gets to stay a couple of days, then return. Apparently on some flights to Europe (including destinations with high frequency like London), SIA is flying 2 sets of crew at any one time. One set works, the other set is flown there as passengers. They stay just 1 night and the very next day, they are fly back. The first set now gets flown as passenger, while the second set works.

Apparently this arrangement co-exists with the traditional 1 set of crew + couple of days rest arrangement.

Anyone heard of this before?

IMHO, this doesn't seem to make commercial sense. Firstly, flying a second set of crew on commercial seats takes away revenue opportunity. Secondly, putting two sets of crew in a hotel costs the same as putting one set of crew for two nights - where is the cost savings? Would love to hear more about this.

[flyguy]

SQ does pax its cabin crew but definitely not to London and europe nowadays only to 2 or so destinations and these areplaces that SQ do not operate daily into.

[Inflight Sup]

Yes, it looks like there is not much savings, at least not the opportunity costs.But filling up EY seats that has a meaty profit margin is long gone.

Some of my crew friends have shared these:

Crew are paid 2.5 times their hourly rate of flight time if their duty time exceeds 14 hours, all inclusive ( reporting time etc ) LON and most western europe cities fall into this criteria. This payment is separate from their meal allowances, and basic rank pay.Each rank also have different hourly rates.

Flying as passengers ( paxing ) does not qualify for this payment. In this regard, there is savings from a cost centre perspective. Each division is allocated an annual budget and any savings from this may be redistributed to the executives within that division as an incentive, if they meet the targets.It is not shared with the rank & file. Profits from the Company are shared via formulas agreed between union & management.

What is more useful to the executives in such paxing arrangements is that the crew will not need 'minimum rest' since they did not work. They can be 'recycled' to operate a flight straight away. Technically,there is no infringement to any law or regulation. There is a 'promise' to allow 'reasonable' rest and the company will 'endeavour' not to utilise crew.

So, the crew paxing into SIN or LON can actually begin flight duties straight away.

To date, the company has kept its promise.

I stand to be corrected if this information is inaccurate.


Happy 2014

[astroboy]

SQ does pax its cabin crew but definitely not to London and europe nowadays only to 2 or so destinations and these areplaces that SQ do not operate daily into.

I humbly beg to differ. SQ is currently positioning its cabin crew into LHR, although it's not on a daily basis. In fact, there was a recent brouhaha with regards to a set of positioning crew's CIQ formalities, which led to that set of crew being "detained" by LHR Immigration for a number of hours. So now, positioning crew will not clear immigration airside like before, but instead go through the passenger terminal.

[mr_botak]

Ouch. Bet they were a friendly lot on the way back... not likely to be at their best.

[Dickson]

I think what "Inflight Sup" said is probably the correct explanation. When I first heard this from the crew, I couldn't believe it myself. I asked them if it is only to sectors where there is no daily flight and she clarified that it sometimes extend to sectors with daily flights too, such as London.

To me, this is hyper penny pinching : working around the letter of the rules, so as to optimise the best deal for the company. I personally feel that for a set of crew to sit in economy for 14 hours, is already very tiring (and boring!!). And needing to turn around the very next day to fly that same 14 hours again, albeit performing flight duties.

[9V-JKL]

Just spoke with a crew, was told that this has been going on for quite a while already especially for stations with multiple-aircraft type.

Using LHR as an example:
SIN-LHR on A380 with 23 crew followed by LHR-SIN on 77W with 15 working & 8 as pax. These 8 are paid 1/2 flight allowance. It's all done to rostering. Complicated system

[mr_botak]

Thanks - I guess that makes sense to some degree.

[CarbonMan]

Just spoke with a crew, was told that this has been going on for quite a while already especially for stations with multiple-aircraft type.

Using LHR as an example:
SIN-LHR on A380 with 23 crew followed by LHR-SIN on 77W with 15 working & 8 as pax. These 8 are paid 1/2 flight allowance. It's all done to rostering. Complicated system

Ah, this makes sense. Not sure if those 8 are better off sitting around doing nothing ... and earning less?

[flyguy]

seems like SQ have excess cabin crew too and flights are not full to be paxing them all the way from SIN to LHR in order that some be rotated back the next day or later flight - as actually with 4 daily flights, there's really no need to pax crew. They used or may still be paxing cabin crew to Christchurch(?).

[orsetto]

The union has nothing to say of this? I guess getting paid 1/2 flight allowance for sleeping, IFE, etc. is better than waiting at home for the next deployment.. though an LSS told me that she finds long hauls more tiring on passengers than crew.

[SINFJ]

Anyone knows which baby whale this was?

[SQ_SIA]

This is indeed true-- Verified it with the crew of SQ001 06JAN.

[soarbeyond]

Yes, SQ still does this even for non European destinations

They used or may still be paxing cabin crew to Christchurch(?).

They still do