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Airline CEO tells staff to push through fatigue

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As chaos engulfs the aviation industry this summer, one airline CEO has come up with a novel way of cutting down on flight cancellations: telling staff to take less time off. József Váradi, CEO of Wizz Air, the European low-cost carrier, told employees at a meeting this week that too many of them were taking time off for fatigue, and that “sometimes it is required to go the extra mile.” Pilot fatigue is taken seriously in the industry, with the Flight Safety Foundation calling it an”… (www.msn.com) Mehr...

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Lib4ever
Maxwell Johnson 19
The carrier I fly for (much larger than Wizz) has consistently said that if you feel too fatigued to fly safely then don't fly at all.
21voyageur
21voyageur 8
And that is why the "article" is newsworthy. His pitch does not, IMHO, reflect in any way best practices. Last thing anybody wants (pax, crew, shareholders) is the person at the pointy end deciding they have had enough stress and taking radical measures to end the pain or seek revenge as seen more and more these days.
raleedy
ALLAN LEEDY 3
Or just forgetting something important.
21voyageur
21voyageur 5
That is why there are typically 2 at the pointed end. Not perfect but close.
Viperguy46
Jesse Carroll 2
Wonder if the Capt. of the A330 that overflew France and was fired, should apply at WIZZ!...Just sayin!
21voyageur
21voyageur 2
As stated buddy, Not perfect but close.
mutrock
Mark Kortum 34
One of the problems with living a long life is that you get to witness the same stupidity as it repeats itself with every new generation.
stephenlittle
Stephen Alexander 9
I would only take a Wizz if I rally needed to.
patpylot
patrick baker 16
this airline ceo deserves censure, his pilots require rest between flights, and the airline operation ought to be carefully looked at to give us all the information needed to decide if Wizz air is properly named
mutrock
Mark Kortum 16
When you fly on this airline what do you tell people? "I took a Wizz to get here"?
21voyageur
21voyageur 6
Either the Board of Directors wanted a message telegraphed to the employees and the CEO was the obvious person to do so, or these may be the last few days of the CEO's career at Wizz. IMHO.

jimjallen
Jim Allen 4
Wouldnt be too sure about that. Keep in mind - wasn't it the RyanAir CEO that said he'd charge pax $5 to use the loo if he could? Musk locked up his Tesla employees in the factories to keep them going during COVID. Why no one screamed "Foxconn" is beyond me.
21voyageur
21voyageur 4
My guess is he went rogue. Wizz is a large company with many AC and a pre-C-19 top line of ~3 billion USD. Perhaps the stress was getting to him. Although his words were aimed at the staff, it is the EU customers that may ultimately determine his and the airline's fate.
sirclown82
Chris Cotter 6
You know the airline industry is one of those industries that when you do something, you only do it once. If you are so tired from working day-after-day, all day from sun up to sun down and you plow into a plane, you're fired and blackballed from the industry. These airport workers are hard-working people that can be replaced in a moment, but the CEO thinks they need to just put through. They forget people have lives.

My favorite quote "Wizz Air and the airline industry are highly regulated, and safety has, and always will be, our first priority." You can tell. When people are fatigued, they make mistakes. You damaged this plane because you're tired? Bad excuse, you're fired.
21voyageur
21voyageur 7
Well put. Should apply to the CEO as well. Perhaps fatigue on his part coupled with 2nd world culture. Anyway, with LCC being but busses at 32,000 feet, even CEOs are commodities. With low-profit margins, it will be interesting to see if EU flyers choose other similar companies (EasyJet, Ryan Air) based on the CEO's statements. Money talks.
srobak
srobak 1
low profit margins.... hah!
MikeMohle
Mike Mohle 6
Can't believe he said it out loud, and in public. Don't they have lawyers to keep them from saying things that will come back to haunt the company (and get them sued) after a accident caused by fatigue?????
fredbrillo111
Fred B Rillo 10
At an employee meeting with Bob Crandall, CEO of AA a few years ago, one manager stood up and said the company is doing great but Ive not had a vacation with my family in 5 years..Crandall replied, "We dont expect you to take your vacation".

A few managers resigned not long afterwards.
ltullos
Larry Tullos 9
Bob Crandall was a POS human who was proud of his "don't feed the dog" story.
satterwhite777
Jeff satterwhite 1
But he was our POS! Love him or hate him, he did the best for the company!
royhunte92
Roy Hunte 5
Bob Crandall is the Antitype of a leader.
bentwing60
bentwing60 2
For grins, look up Jan and Bobs excellent adventure, the story of his almost entirely expunged sailing misfire venture, on the BOB commissioned 48' SV ARWAY, if you can find it!

hint, only on noodle, Cheers.
jimjallen
Jim Allen 7
You expect any less? I need to maintain my fat profit margin on your backs.
jptq63
jptq63 7
Really sad seeing the below random job offer email in my in box, as last I knew the low end of the pay scale is less than min wage in a few of these listed locations.... PSA Airlines Hiring Event – Flight Attendant $18k - $30k Full Year -- Tuesday, June 7, 2022 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM US/Eastern // Wednesday, June 8, 2022 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM US/Eastern // Embassy Suites by Hilton 1100 SE 17th St. Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316 – Via Indeed job posting (type in PSA Airlines and flight attendant, others are not that much better, but at least seem above min wage….)
jptq63
jptq63 2
Note: presuming a 40 hr work week....
patpylot
patrick baker 10
not exactly. i am sure the flight attendants who read these squawks can tell us all about being on duty, in uniform, on the plane or waiting between flights, and how that stretches hours into more hours, many unpaid. Weather delays, equipment failures all can and do add to the work time, unpaid of course...
jptq63
jptq63 1
larsen714
larsen714 2
No one works a 40 hr week in aviation, lol
cowboybob
cowboybob 3
Unlimited no-doze in all aircraft galleys….brilliant!
rcarlass
Rob Carlassara 3
This "person" is a complete psychopath. Employees should JUST SAY NO

People that that i would not like to meet in a dark ally at night. Just saying
ceja111
Edgar Reyes 3
Just one question. When Does he fly the planes to practice what he preaches?
JBcap767
John Buch 5
After 43 years in aviation with no incidents or accidents, I have to admit that the mistakes I did make were due to either fatigue or rushing. Captain JB-retired
captrags80
Michael Ragsdale 2
Brilliant....
SorenTwin
SorenTwin 2
There are well-established laws surrounding duty time for pilots; I highly doubt that they are the topic of this story.
citguy57
citguy57 2
"safety has, and always will be, our first priority." - well obviously NOT.
KC3CDU
Timothy Clark 1
I'm saddened deeply to see the lack of concern this airline obviously has for the safety of those flying. Wow. I just can't even imagine how this guy sleeps at night.
If pilots fall a sleep at the controls from this airline, then clearly his choice was a good one and yes, this is sarcasm.
ElliotCannon
Elliot Cannon 1
WIZZ AIR??? The name alone would keep me off their planes.
sparkie624
sparkie624 1
A Here is a Similar article:

https://viewfromthewing.com/airline-ceo-is-sick-and-tired-of-pilots-prioritizing-safety/
satterwhite777
Jeff satterwhite 1
Pilots have a 1,000 hour limit per year.....use me now and I might not be available for your Christmas travel.

[This comment has been downvoted. Show anyway.]

fredbrillo111
Fred B Rillo 11
Perhaps you're confused as to the meaning of WOKE.. This seems to be just the opposite from a bully of a CEO who ignores safety concerns.
DonDengler
DonDengler -4
Woke schmoke. The definition is anything that is good, safe, beneficial to our well being is bad now. Boys taking estrogen is cool now. Operating a billion dollar aircraft responsible for human life is worth chancing it now. What goes ? This is a sick sick sick sick society lead by the evil
DonDengler
DonDengler -6
It’s all the same. Same church different pew.
jimjallen
Jim Allen 7
What is "woke" about it? I obviously don't know the particulars - if it's a "sick-out" - that's one thing. I don't want a pilot or FA that's been up for 16+ hours involved with an aircraft I'm on... notice how I say "up" and not "working" - may FA's and pilot's don't start the clock unless they're actually moving. We all know how concerned regional carriers are concerned about their employees :-( If any of those planes crash and fatigue is found to be a factor - say sayonara. Many countries will hold the CEO accountable.
rboddy91
Rich Boddy 2
Lmao you really have n idea what "woke" means. Please stop.
DonDengler
DonDengler -5
Forced to fly fatigued isn’t woke?
KatzyBaby
KatzyBaby 4
Actually, it's the exact opposite of 'woke'.

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