Cyprus-Forum.com

[Tim Drayton]

I was astonished to see an advertisement in yesterday's (Cyprus) Sunday Mail (April 5 2015, page 7), in which Hermes, the private company now running Larnaca and Paphos airports, is calling on people to come and work for them as volunteers!

Here is an extract from the advertisement:

Reporting to the Customer Care Manager, the "Airport Customer Care Ambassadors" will be required to commit 4 hours per week without pay for "volunteer" work at Larnaca or Pafos International Airport on peak days between 1st June and 31st October 2015. Their main duties will be to offer proactive and superior customer care such as way-finding and problem solving assistance to passengers and airport visitors, while reflecting the warm welcoming nature of the island of Cyprus and in alignment with Hermes Corporate Values.

It occurred to me that this might be a delayed April Fools Day joke, so I phoned Hermes to check, but the confused sounding call centre operator I got through to knew nothing about it.

What next. Will we have to pay corporations for the privilege of working for them?

[Paphitis]

I was astonished to see an advertisement in yesterday's (Cyprus) Sunday Mail (April 5 2015, page 7), in which Hermes, the private company now running Larnaca and Paphos airports, is calling on people to come and work for them as volunteers!

Here is an extract from the advertisement:

Reporting to the Customer Care Manager, the "Airport Customer Care Ambassadors" will be required to commit 4 hours per week without pay for "volunteer" work at Larnaca or Pafos International Airport on peak days between 1st June and 31st October 2015. Their main duties will be to offer proactive and superior customer care such as way-finding and problem solving assistance to passengers and airport visitors, while reflecting the warm welcoming nature of the island of Cyprus and in alignment with Hermes Corporate Values.

It occurred to me that this might be a delayed April Fools Day joke, so I phoned Hermes to check, but the confused sounding call centre operator I got through to knew nothing about it.

What next. Will we have to pay corporations for the privilege of working for them?

I've got one that should have everyone extremely worried but there is nothing in the media about it. The media of course seems more concerned about the fact a pilot has split with his extra marital mistress. Oh yes, they might end up flying a jet into a mountain.

Some Low Cost Carriers are introducing schemes whereby pilots not only have to pay for their type rating, but also must pay a fee per hour for the privilege of being a First Officer on an A320 or B737.

So pilots are already paying airlines for the privilege of working for them.

This of course is in order to permit these dubious Airlines the ability to sell 29 euro fares so that cheap skate cookware salesmen can travel cheaply to Belerus and Cyprus.

The end result is that there are 200 hour pilots in the right hand seat of an A320.

Scared enough now?

If anyone has any doubt, then Google search "pilot pay2fly scheme".

Now, you can see there are actually quite serious market driven concerns which of course will kill hundreds of travelers but that's ok because some Chinese cookware salesman will still get tickets for 29 euros one way without baggage.

Good luck with that. But no way I will put my family on these planes.

[Tim Drayton]

Why would a pilot pay an airline for the privilege of working for them? Does this have to do with building up your flying hours so you can get a better job?

I wonder what the motive would be for people to work as Airport Customer Care Ambassadors for nothing? I can understand people doing volunteer work for charity or a good cause, but I can't make sense of this.

[Paphitis]

Why would a pilot pay an airline for the privilege of working for them? Does this have to do with building up your flying hours so you can get a better job?

I wonder what the motive would be for people to work as Airport Customer Care Ambassadors for nothing? I can understand people doing volunteer work for charity or a good cause, but I can't make sense of this.

Yes it is primarily to allow low time pilots in and not pay them to reduce overhead.

The incentive for the pilot is to build their hours.

Do you think this is a good scheme?

[Tim Drayton]

Why would a pilot pay an airline for the privilege of working for them? Does this have to do with building up your flying hours so you can get a better job?

I wonder what the motive would be for people to work as Airport Customer Care Ambassadors for nothing? I can understand people doing volunteer work for charity or a good cause, but I can't make sense of this.

Yes it is primarily to allow low time pilots in and not pay them to reduce overhead.

The incentive for the pilot is to build their hours.

Do you think this is a good scheme?

No.

[Paphitis]

Why would a pilot pay an airline for the privilege of working for them? Does this have to do with building up your flying hours so you can get a better job?

I wonder what the motive would be for people to work as Airport Customer Care Ambassadors for nothing? I can understand people doing volunteer work for charity or a good cause, but I can't make sense of this.

Yes it is primarily to allow low time pilots in and not pay them to reduce overhead.

The incentive for the pilot is to build their hours.

Do you think this is a good scheme?

No.

Didn't think you would.

[Pyrpolizer]

I was astonished to see an advertisement in yesterday's (Cyprus) Sunday Mail (April 5 2015, page 7), in which Hermes, the private company now running Larnaca and Paphos airports, is calling on people to come and work for them as volunteers!

Here is an extract from the advertisement:

Reporting to the Customer Care Manager, the "Airport Customer Care Ambassadors" will be required to commit 4 hours per week without pay for "volunteer" work at Larnaca or Pafos International Airport on peak days between 1st June and 31st October 2015. Their main duties will be to offer proactive and superior customer care such as way-finding and problem solving assistance to passengers and airport visitors, while reflecting the warm welcoming nature of the island of Cyprus and in alignment with Hermes Corporate Values.

It occurred to me that this might be a delayed April Fools Day joke, so I phoned Hermes to check, but the confused sounding call centre operator I got through to knew nothing about it.

What next. Will we have to pay corporations for the privilege of working for them?

It's not something new Tim. These people get some minor benefits, I won't be surprised if some students/or unemployed people apply for the purpose of taking commissions for directing tourists to specific taxi/restaurant/hotel/car rental/etc services
http://www.metwashairports.com/dulles/5329.htm
http://www.flypittsburgh.com/become_an_ ... ambassador

[miltiades]

" The Stewart wrote: " This of course is in order to permit these dubious Airlines the ability to sell 29 euro fares so that cheap skate cookware salesmen can travel cheaply to Belerus and Cyprus. "

Do you consider Easyjet a dubious airline ??? I suppose you considered CYA as a ....professional airline !!
Mate, stick to serving drinks, you have much to learn. By the way its BELARUS, white Russia or Lefcorossia.

Im actually thinking of retiring in Belarus in the summer and Cyprus in all other time. Trouble is 10 thousand STG a month, would have been £8000 if I flew on CYA, its not encouraging me, must rush and sell some more pots and pans.

[Paphitis]

" The Stewart wrote: " This of course is in order to permit these dubious Airlines the ability to sell 29 euro fares so that cheap skate cookware salesmen can travel cheaply to Belerus and Cyprus. "

Do you consider Easyjet a dubious airline ??? I suppose you considered CYA as a ....professional airline !!
Mate, stick to serving drinks, you have much to learn. By the way its BELARUS, white Russia or Lefcorossia.

Im actually thinking of retiring in Belarus in the summer and Cyprus in all other time. Trouble is 10 thousand STG a month, would have been £8000 if I flew on CYA, its not encouraging me, must rush and sell some more pots and pans.

Yes I considered CA a professional airline. They were as professional as an Airline can get.

[Pyrpolizer]

For what is worth Cyprus airways was also offering super cheap tickets, in fact my wife got some, and without me knowing they were from Cyprus Airways, i yelled at her "you want us get killed why did you buy these junk?"... she assured me we would fly with CA. I was not convinced until I saw the tickets themselves

Besides imo every consumer is entitled to go for the best price available. It's not the fault of the consumer that air tickets have gone so low.
It's the fault of the national civil aviation Depts IF THOSE SUPER LOW PRICES are offered at the expense of safety.