The Hotel Committee will now have its own dedicated newsletter on the current situation of our hotels.
At Cargolux it has been calculated that we spend up to 75 days (calculated in hours) away from our family and friends per year that a “normal 9 to 5” employee has. Moreover, as has been communicated by the ALPL Board, the quality of hotels must meet the requirements so that we as pilots are able to obtain the best possible rest to conduct our duties safely and that appropriate nutrition is readily available. Therefore, the standards (link) of our hotels must be maintained.
ORD
The recent situation in ORD at the Courtyard Wood Dale, is an example, where neither we as Hotel Committee nor any ALPL Board Member or Delegate were involved in making the decision which failed miserably. Senior Management informed us at 16.00h on Tuesday 05 May 2020 that due to the COVID risk in the Cook County we were to move from Chicago downtown. We asked to hold off until we could find a suitable alternative. At 21.40h on the same evening the Chief Pilot was asked by Senior Management to send the information that we were moving.
The information that Senior Management provided to the CPO was also inconsistent stating that it was in a residential area and had a mini mart. The fact was that the hotel is located in an industrial area, the mini mart is nothing more than a shelf of crisps, chocolate bars and sodas, nothing close to nutrition and there are no nearby places to obtain any food. The noise from departing aircraft from O’Hare and other factors forced a crew to delay the flight due to not being able to obtain adequate sleep before the wakeup call. Nearly every crew that has had a layover there has written a Voyage Report.
We are pleased to announce that once we took the lead in obtaining a suitable accommodation we will move to the Marriott Naperville (link). We would like to thank a crew who visited the hotel and with our guidance checked all the standards required. Certainly, in these times some items will not be up and running but we have provided a copy of nearby walking distance restaurants (link) of what is available with regard to nutrition.
OVB
This destination has become a hub as Cargolux is shuttling back and forth from Mainland China. There have been reports that social distancing is not being respected. We approached the manager at the hotel, who is grateful to have us there as only cargo crews are keeping it open, to further create a space to enable more social distancing on the 10th Floor. We believe that this will help, and we ask that you please respect each other.
The manger has had to furlough some of his staff and the remaining have had to take a salary cut. We have created a ‘tip’ box. If you can find a way to support these staff who provide us with all services to make our stay safe, it is for sure appreciated.
SIN
The lockdown continues due to the local health authorities’ requirements. After Senior Management was informed by us that this could potentially have problems with crew being confined in rooms for long periods of time, they agreed to book suites. Unfortunately, we recently found out via your reports that the suites are only available for stays of three (3) nights or longer. We ask what is the difference between 2 nights or 3 nights? We also pointed out that the breakfast allowance also does not adequately meet a minimum nutritional level. We suggested to allocate suites for a duration of 2 nights and longer and we stipulated the allowance (currently SIN $20) to be cumulative. Managements answer is still pending.
Armchair decision making has clearly demonstrated that hotel standards are not provided for. It is vitally important that the standards of hotels are maintained. This can only be achieved with your assistance/support together with the Hotel Committee to select and maintain the most suitable hotel without costs being the determining factor.
Voyage Reports are important, without them, Senior Management will only advise us that there is no problem! Remember to forward your reports to the Hotel Committee.
Please view the document (link) that we have prepared to give you updates on all our current destinations. If there are any omissions or errors, please email them to cvhotels@alpl.lu
