SilverJet

[TightSlot]

Please use the forum SEARCH function for previous threads on this subject - Your question may have been answered already

[Dolley]

Hi Silverjetters,

I've been reading the old threat but some of the information seems quite old and might be out-dated.

I was wondering about your guys rosters? Is there anything set like a pattern, or do you only know with roster publication when/how much you'll work? If so, how many duties do you end up doing in a month? When does your roster get published for the next month? What do your sby's look like and how many do you get on average?

On a different note, I'm aware that you get contracted for Luton and therefore have to look after your own accommodation for the initial training course. Does Silverjet starts paying you when you are on training though? I mean, only the basic salary, obviously?

And is Dubai confirmed as the next route now? Someone who went for an interview with Silverjet not long ago said that they mentioned during the assessment day...

Many thanks!

[BestonBoard]

Hi,

Most of your questions are answered if you attend one of our assessment centres... Regarding Rosters, they are normally issued Mid month ... As such there are no set patterns, but crewing do try their best to issue flights as fairly and evenly as possible (taking into account your own limitations, and hours accrued etc etc)

Salary is paid 1 month in arrears, and you are paid your basic from the day you commence training.

Regarding the DBX comment. I'm afraid I cannot confirm this. Silverjet have identified over 30 possible destinations where our service would be effective. No announcements have been made regarding our next destination (one will be made in the near future I believe so watch this space...)

Hope this helps.

BoB

[LadyP]

Hi Bestonboard!,

I have an interview with Silverjet in September!. Just wondering about a couple of things that maybe you could help me with;

How many trips per month are you doing and do you do back to backs?

How long is the training and is it in Luton?

And finally; do the company acknowledge part time?

I appreciate your help!

Thanks LadyP:)

[Potential]

How long have people who have recently applied to SilverJet had to wait between applying and being invited for selection/interview? On a previous SilverJet thread I read that some people got an autoreponse when they submitted their CV by email, but I never got one. Did others who have recently applied get one?

[AAE747Boy]

I've recently applied and got an email with an interview date the next day. I did get an initial auto response advising it may take some time however this was not the case. Good luck :)

[Potential]

I've been invited to a selection day too. I only sent my CV 4 days ago so they were very quick!

Can anybody who has been for the selection give me any details about what the day involves? In particular what are the interview questions like and how long are the 2 interviews? Also what is involved in the group exercises?

[AAE747Boy]

Potential - what day are you going? I've chosen the 20th Sept

[Silver Angel]

Hi wannabees

I have now had my Silverjet interview, and did not make it past the group interview stage. Unlike what is written on the other thread, the interview was all done on one day.

We were split into two groups; one group had their first 10 minute interview (2 questions asked), and the other group went to do their mini-presentation, and Silverjet also gave a presentation on the company (which sounds really good, which makes me even more sad that I did not get the job). Then the groups switched over - so the people that had the interview went for the presentations, and vice versa. That was the end of the first stage, and quite a few people were then sent home.

After a short break, we then had the group interview; the topic was very interesting and generated a lot of ideas (much better than Virgin's topics, I thought). This lasted about 20 minutes, and marked the end of the second stage. This is where I was sent home, and only a tiny handful of people made it through to the final stage.

The interview day started very early, and I found there was A LOT of waiting around. All I can say is, try and prepare as much as you can. Like a lot of airlines, Silverjet does not give feedback, so I am just going to have to guess where I went wrong. However, it sounds like such a good airline, that I am going to re-apply in 12 months time.

Good Luck you guys!

Silver Angel.

ps if anyone knows what they are expecting from you at the group interview stage, apart from good interaction with other team members, I would really appreciate the advice.

[Twinklinggem]

Anyone know what the rosters are like how many flights a month etc?

Also whats the STB's like as i would be commuting from Birmingham if thats possible :hmm:

Thanks :ok:

[dupont3700]

would anyone know what the wages are for cabin crew? How many flights a month? Does the cabin crew get staff travel tickets?

[torybeth]

Hi all,

Got an interview with Silverjet next Wednesday 19th. Really excited! But also nervous as really havent got a clue what to expect. Have done my research on the Company and everything looks very promising. However I have no previous flight experience so dont know what is expected. My motto is to just be myself and hopefully they will like what they see :)

However would appreciate any words of advice from those of you that have gone through this process. I have worked on Cruise Liners as a Spa Therapist for a few years and have customer care experience so hope that will stand me in good stead.

Anybody else got interviews wed?
Good luck to everyone and any feedback re Silverjet is much appreciated.

Lv & best wishes x

[Potential]

AAE747Boy, I´m going on 21 September, is anybody else going on the same day?

Silver Angel, thanks for your information about the selection. Could you (or someone else) tell us what 2 questions were asked at the initial interview and also what the topics were for the group discussion. Any other advice or hints about the selection would also be much appreciated.

[BestonBoard]

Hi Guys,

Most of the questions you have asked have all been answered in previous posts.... If you see the moderators post on this forum, by using the search tool you will be able to see previous posts about us...

Flying experience is not essential, full training is provided if you are successful...

To tell you questions in the interview stage would give you an unfair advantage over those that have already been through the assessment process, and those who do not read this forum....

Our aim is 'To change Air Travel Forever'... with the imminent launch of our 2nd daily service to New York, The arrival of our third aircraft and the impending announcement of our next destination ... this is an exciting time to join a blossoming airline...

I cannot provide information about the interview process... I believe it has changed slightly from when I undertook mine (which was over a year ago now)... All I could suggest is think customer service... what have you done and what can you do to make our customer know that they are valued... how could you exceed their expectations? How coud you help them leave us wanting more?

Good luck in your Interviews! Maybe see you on line in the near future! :)

[BestonBoard]

Silverjet announce the launch of it's second destination...

Dubai!!! Flights commence in November!

Good luck to everyone having interviews this week!

[neildk]

Great News Silverjet !!!!!!!!!

Just heard about your new destination - you'll love it. As a CSD for BA its one of my favourite places and with your fantastic service its bound to be a success. Look forward to seeing you all at "Wild Wadi" waterpark!!!

:)

[Potential]

Its not really a surprise that the new route is Dubai. Why else would they have been advertising for staff in Dubai?

So can anybody thats been for selection this week give us an insight into what's involved and what it's like?

[AAE747Boy]

Hello

I had my interview yesterday for Silverjet, and this is how the day went.

The applicants were split into 2 groups, one group went into a small room where a presentation on the company was made, and you introduced yourself to the group and the assessors. The other group were immediately taken in 3's into a room to be interviewed. I was asked 3 questions, which were based around scenarios and I had to give specific examples relating to my experience.

The 2 groups then swapped over and the assessors returned to the waiting area and read out a list of names. I was fortunate to be in the group who had passed the first stage. the other group were sent home.

Next, the remaining applicants were split in half again and we commenced our group exercise, where there was about 6 of us in each group.

Again, we returned to the waiting area to wait for a list of names to be read.

This time, i had not passed this stage, and was sent home. My friend who was with me got through and was told to come back in an hour for her 2-2-1 interview. She will find out on Monday if she was successful.

The day included a lot of waiting around, and was a bit backwards to be honest (most applicants agreeing with this). It looks like a great company to work for, however it might not appear that easy to get in, and a lot of applicants that were invited for the interview, left a lot to be desired.

We were told they have had 15,000 applications so far, and recruited 123 people. So they are obviously looking for something in particular....

Hope this helps and good luck to anyone with an interview

[chicken79]

I too attended the Silverjet interview yesterday.

I think the company sounds fantastic and all the future plans are really exciting.

However, I was not lucky enough to even pass the first stage. The layout of the day is very strange to say the least.

I do think the process is unfair, and not just because I didn't get through, it doesn't matter to me that much as I start training with VS in a few months.

How can they possible decide whether you are right for the job by asking 2 questions in a room with other people doing their interviews aswell. The hotel is a joke. The interviewers seemed as if we were inconviniencing them by being there are the woman who interviewed me was completely not interested in me at all or what I had to say.

The young NZ lad who escorted us downstairs to say we hadn't got through couldn't even smile at me when I said thank you when we left and he even had the nerve to say that, "he was sure we weren't bad at our normal jobs!!". How dare he say that! Jumped up little ****!!

Anyway good look to anyone who gets in with Silverjet the Cabin Crew Manager seems really nice and was the only one who actually seemed to be bothered!!

[Silver Angel]

To AAE747Boy - please let us know whether your friend gets through! Could you let me know what he/she did in the group exercise - what qualities the recruiters were looking for at this stage? Do you think you may be able to shed some light on what the final interview is like? I really want to work for Silverjet (as you may be able to tell), but I am now unable to reapply until September 2008. Like you said, it appears extremely difficult to get in - but at least I have 12 months to do something about that!

[nicuk]

Now flown with EK for over 4 years. Im thinking about a move to Silverjet. Does anyone know how many hours Silverjet crew are working in a month?

[flygirl28]

Hours have been a little unpredictable with the postponement of the second service to NYC. However with rosters printed for next month and the second service starting on average crew are getting 5-6 trips per month.
Hope that helps

[AAE747Boy]

Chicken79 - I completely agree, the guy from NZ was extremely rude, and he interviewed my friend who didnt get past the first interview, and she said he was uninterested in anything she said. He was one of the assessors when i was in the second stage (the group exercise) and he told me and the others that we hadnt got thru and he couldnt even look us in the eye. I will not be reapplying to SilverJet.

Silver Angel - The group exercise involved us having to decide from a list of eight passengers/families who would get priority for a hotel room, and why, and then you present it back to the assessors. Fairly simple i thought, but just a tip, there were 5 in my group, and 4 of us including me voiced our opinions and were active members of the group, however one girl didnt say much, couldnt really grasp the task, and she was the only one who got through! I'll speak to my mate about the final interview see what it was like!

[Princesscharl]

Hi guys, I was also at Silverjet interview the same day as you..i totally agree with everything you've said! They did look like a great company but not sure underneath it all. Most airlines or companies tell you the nitty gritty stuff about wages etc.. upfront but with Silverjet you have to sit through most of the presentation (which goes round in circles with the same boasting) until they tell you any details that are important for your life! The NZ man interviewed me and i too thought he really wasn't listening..if i had been a good looking male he might have been more interested! I think the less controversial the better, dont mention British Airways and if you are young enough to want to start a family and any sort of employment laws behind you then they would rather not be bothered with you :oh:

[chicken79]

Yes totally agree princesscharl. I think I know who you are, I think I was talking to you about BA and Solihull!!!

Good luck with your future when you get the date, if it's you!!

[ek_ey_qr_dreamer]

i was given an assesment date for the early this month by silverjet, but it said in the email that if i was unable to make it i must email back so that i can be given further dates!
i was unable to make the dates given to me due to current job commitments, so i emailed back.... but i have waited since and i have had no body email me back! so what do i do? i have tried emailing them twice but no reply and when i call sarah whose number was given in ther invitation email... no body answers!! strange ppl!

thanks guy

[easygalleyfm]

ek_dreamer

I had thesame issue, couldnt make the 1st interview I was invited, they gave me some other dates (happened to be 4 days in thesame week)which again I couldnt make, tried emailing them never got anything back so my guess is, they expect people to drop everything and attend the interview and if you cant then they are not interested....

[flygirl28]

I'm really sorry to hear that you have had bad experiences with SJ, knowing some of the crew that work there they seem to be a really professional organisation. Maybe its down to being a new company who are still finding their feet?
I've worked for quite a few airlines now and my experience is that on offering you an interview they will try and accomodate you as best as possible but as with any job interview, yes there are times that the interview time or date clashes with your now job. Its just unfortunate. I don't know many jobs that you would go for that could offer you an interview for example at a weekend or in the evening.
Don't let all this cloud your judgement. If you really want to fly, i can honestly say that they seem like a great outfit. Be patient and keep trying.

[ek_ey_qr_dreamer]

thanks for that, i will most defunately continue to try and get in touch as i dont know what the reason could be, and one can only try. i want it so much that i will continue to try no doubt, although i wana prepare myself on a practical interview course.
could anybody tell me if there is a workshop i can attend to get help on interviews?

thanks guys

[Conny_T_Nental]

Hi girlies and boysies! I am aware our HR department have been very busy with recruitment... Have you not received an auto response?

Sorry some of you have had a bad experience with the company on first impressions. I'm sure they don't mean it... Thanks for taking the time to come see us! If I had any power within the company I'd try to get y'all a reply...

Chin up y'all! And fabulous luck for the future!

Conny x

[HHB]

I just read your post & felt I had to tell you what happened to me, I had my interview for Silverjet back in jan & had the same task, I am actually quite an extrovert person & cant stop myself taking leadership ! I got years of airline expereince & yet got thrown out in the first ellimination, I asked Silverjet for some feedback whe I returned home & they said I wasn't forceful/extrovert enough ! My family laughed !!! so I think as usual ......if your face fits etc..... one of the mysteries of the world haha :confused:

[franco17]

Hi all ,

I was wondering if anyone will be so kind to provide me some info about the city of Luton.

I am starting a course for cabin crew with Silverjet in november and I am currently living in Denmark.

I am very happy about the position and the only thing that I am still wondering is where should I live in london to be able to freach on time Luton airport?

I was thinking to rent in luton town but I have heard some bad comments about the city, can anyone confirms if it is so bad to live there?
Is there anyone working for Silverjet living in Luton town?

Can anybody let me know where else I could live without beeing too far to reach luton airport and knowing that I won´t have a car?

I hope to get some answers and I am really looking forward to meet my new colleagues from Silverjet!

Thanks in advance for your help!
Franco17

[Muizenberg]

Hi Franco,

Congrats on Silverjet! Luton has nice bits and not so nice bits too. If you are living locally a car is essential. There is a very good train service called the Thamelink which services Luton Parkway Station, and then there is a bus to the airport (not quite sure where you report).

St. Albans is a nice place to live, lots of cafes, bars, shops, etc on this trainline.

Harpenden is quite nice too, although a bit more quite.

Mill Hill is a nice suburb of London, with easy access to Luton Airport, and the City.

West Hampstead is a fab place to live, London on your door step, and the train to Luton.

Remember you will only have to make the journey a max of 4 times a week. The only consideration I would advise would be your standby call out times.

You should be able to find a room to rent for approx £400 pcm.

try
www.spareroom.co.uk (http://www.spareroom.co.uk)

Hope this has helped!

[mrcabbage]

Goodbye to all the Flyjet crew ex. MAN and NCL. It's been a pleasure working with you this past year at both bases. Shame the aircraft kept going tech. every other flight but if we don't have the spares we can't do a lot!:ugh:
Good luck in whatever you are choosing to do............:D

[crewboy]

H Guys,

Sent my CV off 2 days ago and received an email this afternoon inviting me to an assesment day on either the 10th or 11th Oct, Next week! aaaaaaaa....... havent decided which one yet, anyone else going on one of these days?

I have seen the Silverjet Cabin Crew uniform and the guys dont wear a tie,
So I was wondering if I should wear a suit and shirt but with no tie and open neck, I know I would feel much more relaxed and it might show that I researched the uniform, does anyone have an opinion on this?

I would appreciate any info.

Thanks in advance:ok:

[Potential]

Hi CB,

You are correct that the Silverjet cabin crew wear an open shirt. However, when I went to the selection last month I wanted to avoid dressing like I was already an employee. I was under the impression that the male cabin crew wore a silver tie and a white shirt (like the pilots do I believe), but this is not the case. Imagine my surprise when I realised that all the male interviewers were wearing a blue and white horizontally striped shirt - the same as I was! Doh!

Anyway sorry about going off subject slightly. All the males that were there for selection when I was there had ties on so you might feel a bit too casual if it is the same when you go, even though the interviewers will not have a tie.

[crewboy]

I appreciate your help.

Thanks:ok:

[franco17]

Hi all,

I was wondering if any of you will be so kind to tell if the cabin crew receive allowance when they go to New York?

I know that the basic salary and the paiement for each hour but I haven´t heard anything about allowance when you travel...does that means that there is not such thing?

Thanks in advance for your answers:D

[Twinklinggem]

Hi all, i am thinking off sending off my cv to Silverjet,i am experienced as i already fly with another airline,just wanted to know what the rosters are like ?how much STB you have to do? also how many flights rough idea you do a month? as i would be coming from Birmingham and wondered if it was going to be possible to commute to Luton for my flights?

Any information would be great :ok:

[arewehomeyet]

Why have Silverjet used the classical music from the BA ads for their new advertisement????? Surely they could have found their own piece as opposed to 'borrowing' from a competitor :ugh:

[VS2BA]

Hi, I have been invited to an assessment centre with Silverjet and like Twinglinggem would really like some up to date info on example rosters, sby, hotel locations, allowances, take home pay, commission, what crew get up to down route etc. I have read through all previous posts but would be really interested to hear how things are going now Silverjet has been operating for nearly a year.

If anyone can help with any info it would be much appreciated!

[Twinklinggem]

Come on all you SilverJet crew spill the beans ;)

[peanutuk]

Hi
I am in total agreement with the others regarding the interview experience. I didn't make it to the 2:1 stage, out of 40 people only 4 did. I thought our team did a great job in the group discussion but as mentioned before, the only person in a group of 8 that got through was the one that said the least.
I felt the interviewers (especially the main one) appeared bored and uninterested.
I haven't flown but have years of experience as a front desk manager in 5 star hotels, im a personal trainer delivering exceptional customer service every day, and yet somehow they didn't even want an interview.
I'm baffled, but I wasn't putting on an act so maybe i was too bubbly for them, it definitely seems that they are hiring the quieter ones.

[crewboy]

Hi Guys,

Was meant to be attending an assessment day today but have been off work with flu since Sunday, so couldnt attend.

I emailed silverjet but does anybody have a phone number for the recruitment department.

Many thanks for help given

Crewboy:ok:

[Conny_T_Nental]

Howdy Crewboy,

Sorry to hear you're ill... I'm sure if you send an email to [email protected] they'll rearrange another day for y'all!

Get well soon sweetie

Connie x

[av8rboyz]

It should be at the bottom of your invite to the interview

[Twinklinggem]

A friend of my who flys with another airline went for an interview and she said it was very nice the people that interviewed were not the best and once they knew she had flying experience that was it:* never even got through.

[banewboi]

peanut uk, were you there on the 10th? so was i!!

they narrowed 40 people down to 14 then 4, i didn't get an interview either but did the group excersize, one of the trainers is ex emirates and is apparently a real tough cookie, i also heard that her recruitment decisions aren't always popular as she lets alot of good people go and seems to keep the ones who have alot of broad experience or the new extremely maleable crew, they want crew who they can mould easily!!!

i to thought the main recruiter was bored, false and uninterested!

[peanutuk]

yes i was, im the personal trainer (if I spoke to u!) hope you have some alternatives x

[Conny_T_Nental]

How do Sugars...

Whilst there are many perceptions on how Silverjet select their candidates, you can rest assured that everything is standardised. There is little, if no room for human judgement. The methods used are more or less the same as Qantas/Air Newzealand/BA/Virgin...

I'm sorry if y'all feel you have been judged wrongly... I hope y'all prove us wrong in 12 months time if you reapply.

Our guys who recruit are professionals, and many have worked for a number of airlines. Ok, their 'bedside manner' may need a little overhaul, but they get the job done. For the most part, we have amazing crew on line, and they have the tough task of providing us with crew that can meet our standards when they are let loose on an all business class operation...

Don't get down guys and gals... As they say where I'm from, the wind from one door slamming opens another...

Good luck for whatever you decide to do!

Connie x

[Silver Angel]

It's annoying, because I can't remember who was selected for the final interview, from my group exercise (I was too upset about being sent home). But if Silverjet really are only putting the quieter ones through, the question is, why? I went to the interview, thinking I had to show the recruiters how well I interacted with the other team members. Anyone with any tips / answers, please post your reply...:ugh:

[Ianj]

Hey all!!

Sorry to the guys and girls that have applied to Silverjet and havent been successful, as Connie said try again in 12 months and learn from your recent experience with Silverjet.

The recruitment team at Silverjet have lots of experience and most of this has been with well established major airlines. As for your question as to why are Silverjet recruiting the quieter applicants, well different airlines do look for different things.

By looking at the crew that we currently have online the recruitment team have done a fantastic job. We do have some amazing crew, who work very hard offering a superb business class product. If you look at the Silverjet reviews on some web sites most of these mention the crew and thier professional, friendly approach they all have onboard.

I can only recommend reapplying to Silverjet after 12 months, and I hope to be working along side you soon,

Best of luck,

Ian

[Silver Angel]

Hey - where is everybody? Where are all the very sivilised wannabees? I want more stories! How are the interviews going? Has anything changed? I would particularly like to know if there is anybody out there who, like me, has not passed the interview, but is intending on re-applying next year.

Good Luck to Silverjet crew starting new flights to Dubai on 18 November! :D

[ladyflyby]

I think that Silverjet, like Qantas are after a more demure type of hostie, giving the same impression as the Gulf carriers. To me that's a very old fashioned view of the role we play.

[SilverShit]

Been working for this **** company we call Silverjet from the beginning and things haven't improved so far. My biggest regret ? I left Virgin for that crap. If you haven't been successful in one of their pathetic selections, well consider yourself lucky.

Here's the truth : there's no Union, the salary's crap, the service onboard is a joke and extremely exhausting, no rest time onboard, no crew food, not allowed to take even a bottle of water after your flight or you're sacked, your monthly roster's criminal : back to back flights, minimum rest time, stupid standby's everywhere (and there's no morning or afternoon standby's, so basically you're on sby the whole day, operations peeps totally incompetent and clueless, uniform's ridiculous and embarassing, management inconsiderate and abusive.
just looking forward to getting a position with a decent carrier to resign.
Our pax? they're those cheap losers not rich enough to afford a BA or Virgin business class seat, so they fly with us pretending to be important people with money and harassing you as they want everything instantly. Anyway, to make a long story short, avoiding this company is not a recommendation, but a piece of survival advice

[TightSlot]

I've let the previous post stand purely for discussion purposes - the poster is now banned since we don't allow that kind of user name on PPRuNe, nor do we allow the use of that word in posts.

[franco17]

After reading your post I feel very sorry for you.
It seems that you are really having a hard time and you should be getting another job for your seek and for your company seek.

I have been hired by Silverjet and I am very happy for it even after reading your post.

No airline is perfect, Silverjet is not a very old company and they are probably still searching ways to improve in all aeras.

You started working for them from the beginning so you could have made comments, suggestions to make things change...maybe you did?

There are two ways to behave, either you decide to be proactive and positive and if you notice that there is an issue with the rosters, if you feel that there is a lack of organization then complain about it.

If you really feel that things are going wrong, if your uniform is really uncomfortable then just say it, I mean if you really have reasons to complain then you should have done it and do it to the adecuate people in Silverjet.

Or there is another way, beeing called Silver**** on a public forum and post negative messages to try to destroy the reputation of Silverjet and give bad impresions to those who would like to fly for Silverjet.
What is the best of those two ways to act?

What is exactly the point of your post?

I mean you could give your opinion in a moderate way, I can not imagine that there is no positive point in working for Silverjet.Is there any that you could give us?

I am sure that those points exist and I promise all of you who have interest in Silverjet to give updates in an objective way about what Silverjet provides to his crew members.

Again I hope that you will find another job and forget about beeing so bitter.
I do not know you but there is so much anger in your post and that is never something positive.

You still have time to make a change and give a chance to Silverjet to improve, provide your feedback to them instead of putting it on a public forum.

Good luck for the future and I hope that you will find a way to be happy at work at least until you find another job!

[Silver Angel]

Thanks for that tip ladyflyby - and I look forward to reading your updates, franco17. I really don't know what to make of SilverS***'s post; at the end of the day, this is just one person's opinion. The fact that it's a brand new airline has to be taken into consideration. I will remember what SilverS*** has said, but it has not put me off re-applying next year. I need to see what things are like for myself.

[VS-LHRCSA]

While I'm not condoning Silversh*t's delivery, he or she has made some very valid points that anyone who is applying to airlines should take on board.

1. No union - granted, that is not the airlines issue, it's up to crew to organise that but it takes a very brave one to make that first step. I, for one, would NEVER AGAIN work for an airline without solid union representation.

2. No crew food - on a long haul airline!

3. Salary - £10 000ish basic with around £2.00 per hour flight pay. It's about the same as Zoom and I know I couldn't afford to live on it.

4. Back to back flights - unless you've done trans-atlantic back to back flights you have no idea how exhausting they are. BA crews do them out of LHR and there is a limit of one B2B per 28 days. Basically, it's 4 sectors over 6 days. BA provide a hotel room between sector 2 and 3. Does Silverjet? This is a safety issue, not just a case of BA crew being "spoiled".

5. Full day standby blocks - when are you supposed to rest? How can you be "fit" after sitting by the phone for 10 hours? Again it's a safety issue. Industry standard is 6-8 hours of standby.

6. Over complicated service - just read a few passenger reviews and they all seem to agree. Anyone who has worked on a 767 knows how much walking would be involved in delivering a full J class service by hand. I don't believe their 767s have a mid-galley, so this is just made worse, trying to reach those passengers in the middle of the aircraft.

7. Passenger profile - I could just imagine. It will only get worse with DXB. Not much better than a lot of Premium Economy or World Traveller Plus pax.

A few things about Silverjet that were not raised in his/her post but bothered me personally were:

1. The fact that you are required to include photos in your application, BEFORE being invited to an interview. Air NZ do this and it is in appropriate and bordering on illegal.

2. The "ladies only toilet" ad. The concept may be innovative but the ad was offensive to me. The "BA" was just immature but I could live with it.

3. The seat - read the passenger reviews and they all complain about the slant. It is not a "flat bed" and should not be sold as such. Granted it is an improvement on the "cradle seat" concept but it is really a niche between Premium Economy and International Business Class.

I have formed the opinion that their recruitment focus, as speculated earlier, is on those with little experience that can be moulded to the company specificiations. It's fair enough, I can see the reasons for it and I hope those who are accepted by Silverjet do enjoy their experience, however they should be aware of what exactly they are getting into and how it compares with the rest of the industry.

[Silver Boy]

Hi all,

As this thread is open for opinions, and people have asked what it's like Silverjet I can understand why Silver**** voiced their opinion, however I do not agree with the way in which it was done.

Everything that VS-LHRCSA says is true, except crew food, which is the meals that the passengers don't eat.

It's the 'back 2 backs' that get to me. Worst I have done is 3 in a row!!! Didn't know where I was afterwards, could sleep, couldn't eat and in a daze on my days off - still recovering. My other half was really worried about me!

More like a short haul roster flying long haul. For those of you thinking of joining, roster seems to settle around a minimum of 5 trips a month and up to 7. Plenty of standby as well, and as VS-LHRCSA says, it's a leo-sayer, cover morning and afternoon making for a hellish day/night if your called for the evening flight. No rules on the maximum they can roster except legal rules!

Sure it's a start-up company, and you can't knock them for that, but it's a year now and things are not likely to stabilise whilst they are expanding, which is more than some other airlines though.

Plenty of people leaving (like any other company), but there seem to be a lot more of late and some really good people as well, which is a shame! Isn’t always the way that the bad ones always seem to stay! :{

I would suggest that anyone thinking of joining Silverjet thinks long and hard, as you should with any job, and take a view somewhere between Silver**** and VS-LHRCSA. It ****** hard work at best and they want their 'pounds worth' out of you, and it not all rosy here. Been with them since the beginning and hoping for better. Why do I stay? Hope and the buzz of flying.

Well I’m off for another flight, but if anyone wants any more information then please don’t hesitate to ask darlings! Will keep you posted.

BBFN,

Silver Boy x

[Ianj]

After reading the above post I would like to correct some of the statements mentioned. I dont know whether you work, or have worked for Silverjet. Some of the posts you have mentioned are not only false but are putting people off applying to a very successful and professional airline like Silverjet.

Here is an explanation of the above points as they currently stand!

1. Like mentioned no union and this is up to the crew. Silverjet have been flying for less than a year and who knows when and this might happen. Doesnt this say something about how the crew feel working for Silverjet. If conditions were really that bad surely this would have happened a while ago??

2. No Crew Food! Infact, we do have crew food and it is the same as what our customers can select. An allocation of these meals are put aside for the crew as well as having an allocation of all other food offered to our customers.

3. Pay - Cabin Crew - £10,500 plus a flight pay of £2.75 per hour and I can tell you that on 4 flights a month cabin crew are on a fantastic pay and are on par with pay of that of a charter airline who work 4 flights a week!

4. Back to back flights - Yes this is true crew can be rostered or called off standby to do B2B flights. Flight times are between 6-8 hours flying to New York and soon to be Dubai so it isnt long, long haul. And again by CAA regulations you still have your intitled hours off when back to base and downroute. With regards to this being a safety issue surley this is better than working for a charter or certain scheduled airlines doing a SSH (14 hour day) followed by a DLM (11 hour day) followed by a IBZ (8 hour day) then a standby??

5. Full day standby - Standbys as it is at the moment are 6-8 hour standbys so fall within the "Industry Standard" mentioned.

6. Over complicated service - I dont understand how this can be classed as complicated? It isnt complicated but is busy as in the same if working in business on VS or BA. Crew are allocated a certain section of the aircraft and with regards to the walking distance on the 767-200 it isnt a massive aircraft. I would say the same walking distance for crew working in the upper class cabin on Virgin.

7. Passenger Profile - How can someone say that a passenger profile will get worse when flying to DXB? To crew this shouldn't really matter when choosing what airline we wish to work for. Many of our customers have lots of support for Silverjet and love flying with us.

With regards to the other comments I can only say the following

-I certainly dont think asking for a photo to be sent in before interview is illegal, many airlines still do this. It may just be for them to recongise you when you turn up for interview and to go with your file who knows!

- The ladies only lav was a tounge in cheek advert and it works very well. Again, other airlines use this form of advertising.

- The seat is a flat bed and not the form of a cradle seat. Yes it may be at a slant but it is still flat. Silverjet have never said otherwise. And for a third of the price of other business class airlines this is very good.

Finally the last three points and some of the above points shouldnt have any reflect on people applying to Silverjet. If people want to put down an airline that is proving to be very successful, I would suggest trying to find bad points and ensuring that they are fact before saying anything.

Good luck to those applying I wish you the very best. :ok:

[Silver Boy]

Hello all,

Not sure whether IanJ's comments are directed at me or VS-LHRCSA. However to qualify the points that you raise for the interest of anyone interested in joining the company.

For the record I very much work the company and I know it!

1) Unions - Not fussed on this myself - although many crew members are thinking of joining one. No real difference here to many airlines.

2) Crew food - already qualified what you have said.

3) Pay - scales are correct, but forget 4 flights a month. Even with leave I have been rostered 5 flights and without 8, plus 5 standby days!

4) Back to Backs - I personally can just about cope with 2 New Yorks in a row, but 3 is really demanding, with the lack of sleep! In all honesty I did not expect this, when joining and really hope that it will gradually fade away when we have more staff.

5) Standby - Maybe we work for different parts of the same company or have different rostering teams? My roster always shows standby blocks of 8 hours 30 minutes and 7 of them this month!:confused:

6) To a certain extent I agree with VS-LHRCSA comments. Perhaps it not the complication of the service but more the changes every month that get to me. Don't get me wrong, you have to change to stay alive these days darling, but this is different to anything else I have experienced, with emails every day listing changes.

7) Passenger profile - Not sure I agree with either side on the question of DXB.

8) Advert - Personally not fussed by the Lav advert, and the BA one neither. Someone who I know who is a BA passenger recently said to me that 'imitation is the sincerest form of flattery'.

9) Flat beds - again we must work for different airlines as the beds on the planes I fly are not quite flat and the passengers constantly remind us of it.

As said at the beginning of the post, not sure whether you were directing you comments directly at me, but either way the discussion is good for the purpose of this thread i.e. for people considering joining the company.

Hope to bump into you soon, maybe on the same plane.:)

BBFN

Silver Boy x

[Ianj]

The comments I have written above are of my own personal account of Silverjet!

Stacey, I can see that you were not happy at Silverjet and am pleased for you, that you have moved on to something more suitable. I state above the facts as it NOW stands working for Silverjet not as it was maybe months ago. With regards to delays this happens with all airlines, please look at the scheduled and actual take off and landing times recently you will see hardly any delays. And like I say you may have mis understood my last post but the flight time to new york is between 6-8 hours, if any longer like you say you have done, you may have taken a longer route ie flying over Chicago or maybe even LA :}

As for crew food, on your next flight please ask your SC as to what allocation is given for crew and I am sure they shall advise you that Silverjet provide an allocation.

With regards to pay I merely said that on 4 flights a month you would get a decent pay similar to what charter airlines pay when doing 4 flights a week. Yes at the moment crew are rostered around 5 flights a month.

Hope this clears up some of the above.

[VS-LHRCSA]

Fair enough, Ianj, you've made some valid points, you know your airline better then I do, however:

1. Crew Food. You should be provided with your OWN crew food, or none at all. This is a safety issue as technically you should not be eating passenger food incase of food poisoning. I know everybody does it across all airlines but no airline should rely on it's crew to eat passenger leftovers for sustenance.

2. B2Bs are different to successive charter flights. I've been there myself and I know how both can be tiring. Luckily, my charter airline limited the amount of long range short haul flights you could do in a row to three. B2Bs are different in the fact that you cross time zones over and over while achieving 2 local nights and operating 2 night flights THEN having to drive home after sector 4.

I'm not here to rubbish you or Silverjet in any way but am making points as an impartial observer.

My comments about DXB are quite valid as the destination itself is attracting an element not disassociated with the wearing of Burberry. Hopefully, for you and Silverjet, this may not not be the case but if my experience of Virgin is anything to go by...

[BestonBoard]

Having not posted on any Silverjet thread for some time... I think anybody who is bringing up debates that are now approximately 11 months old should use the 'search' function, and look at the ground that has been covered before...

Unions... I am sure we are all aware the effect they can have on an airline... and the first response that a certain airline has whenever things don't go their way... "I am going to the union about this!!!" Animosity and contempt get bred very easily.... It does take a strong individual to set up a union, and indeed a while back a certain strong individual tried... They did not receive a forthcoming response from the crew they approached.

VS- I completely understand your point regarding Safety and crew food... An effective Service Coordinator will NOT give crew left over food. The allocation for crew meals is kept completely seperate and only cooked fresh when the crew are ready to eat. With the selections of cheese, dessert, fresh bread, and second service supplies, there is a variety for crew to eat... If you are not happy, then bring your own! I know a great number of crew that do... Silverjet are providing crew with a 5 course meal if they wish... it's up to them if they choose it or not.

Salary, Flight pay, work... these are made blatantly clear to you when you are offered a position... As is the requirement of standby duties and location to the airport for them... Read the not so small print before you sign! Even operating 5 flights a month... 10 sectors.... 10 days work at a 10 hour duty overall... In a previous life I used to work 70 hour weeks, and got paid a lot less than I do now... The grass is not always greener!!

More than minimum rest is provided between back to backs, Silverjet do have arrangements with some hotels to offer a discounted rate for an overnight stop. If you enquire you will find out!

In regards to crew rest... Our night flights are tiring. We offer a 'sleeper' service, so we only offer ad hoc service throughout the night as to maximise the sleep time for our customers on board on our flat beds... Yes they are FLAT!!! they are inclined at an angle of 8 degrees, a 6'3" pitch with 8 actuators to mold to the comfort of the person lying on them with a built in seat back massager... Sorry to quote facts, although they are at a slight angle there are no lumps or bumps, or any disjointedness... they are a Flat Bed. Crew rest is not a legal requirement when your sector is on average 6 and half hours! I have done 2 sector days with a charter airline that were 6 and a half hours long, with an hour and a half report before, an hour turnaround and 30 minutes after chocks on for a debrief... It is the responsibility of each individual crew member to ensure they are rested before they fly, and our management teams on board will do everything they can to ensure crew are alert for the critical stages of flight...
As for the Gestapo patrols... We do not have call bells in our cabin, only in the toilets. A constant crew presence is required... For the safety of both themselves and our customers... And I would prefer to keep myself busy during the night sector than sat on my @$$ in the galley picking my nose!

As for our customer profile... If you remember your training you will remember the prospective customers we are aimed at. Considering we now have a number of corporate clients that were customers of the major established carriers... and are not anymore! I think wanabees is a little innacurate. Each person is an individual, and to generalise about anybody that gets on board... well is down right ignorant and a little egotistical... don't you think? The one thing that attracted me to becoming crew in the first place was to meet different people... I can safely say I do!

In regards to the other issues of training, recruitment, adverts etc... Well, As every post has stated we are a new operation. The first crews will have been with the company for a year as of November, I was one of them and I have seen drastic improvements in that time. Aircraft number 3 comes into service within the next week or 2... Off to promote at the DBX air show before launching the Inaugral flight on the 18th November...

If you are having such issues why are you not speaking to management? Even the onboard management team? Any senior worth their salt should be reporting your concerns... I know I do!!!

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and larger airlines have had all these problems in the past. Mr Bransons first route was the same as ours and he had one aircraft for how long??? We are expanding at a phenomenal rate... Flexibility/Adaptability and commitment... I thought these standards were required for crew in most if not all airlines! If you think you have it 'bad' here... take a moment to read some of the other threads within the cabin crew vein... I am sure you will see many a similar discussion taking place!

My only recommendation to anyone who is inquisitive about flying with us... apply, come for the assessment centres, and make your own decision... Hearsay and Galley FM are defamatory and uninspiring at the best of time... unless it's finding out who's doing what and with who...

If you want to be treated like an adult, act like one... Use your voice and speak up. Spreading malicious content on a public forum hiding behind a username will not get the answers or results you want.

[BestonBoard]

Check your November Roster... I believe you will find sby's are no longer than 7 hours now... and are staggered throughout the day. fin...

[av8rboyz]

Hi guys just thought id let ya know.
I worked for United Airlines for a while and i can confirm that other airlines do bad b2b trips. At UA we could do triple b2b's
ie LHR-JFK-LHR-LAX-JFK-LHR-ORD-LHR 3 DAYS OFF
then LHR-SFO-LHR 2DAYS OFF
then LHR-ORD-LHR-ORD-LHR 2 DAYS OF
then LHR-JFK-LHR 2 DAYS OFF

i would like to point out that UA didnt supply the FA's a hotel inbetween
b2b's too

As for pay, our basic pay included 95 flying hours. so to get per diems (flight pay) we had to do over 95 flight hours to qualify for flight pay. so some months if you got a quiet month you could do 4 of our shortest trips (these were a 2 day JFK. yes a 2 day jfk!!! not even a night in jfk layover was 12 hours!!)

Oh and by the way. trips were allocated on time served. therefore those of us who were junior were on reserve (stby) for 5 years.

So silverjet dont sound that bad, but im sure silverjet has its own problems.

you just have to relax and enjoy what ya do and enjoy ya shopping down route.

[Silver Boy]

Bestonboard & IanJ,

An interesting post of which some of your comments raised I agree with and some not. I address them...

"I think anybody who is bringing up debates that are now approximately 11 months old should use the 'search' function, and look at the ground that has been covered before..."

To be clear this thread is open for people asking questions about Silverjet right now. You destroy your own augment later in your post by stating that things change in aviation, or are you suggesting that Silverjet has not changed for 11 months and never will?:confused:

"An effective Service Coordinator will NOT give crew left over food. The allocation for crew meals is kept completely seperate and only cooked fresh when the crew are ready to eat. With the selections of cheese, dessert, fresh bread, and second service supplies, there is a variety for crew to eat... If you are not happy, then bring your own! I know a great number of crew that do... Silverjet are providing crew with a 5 course" meal if they wish... it's up to them if they choose it or not."

The way you talk about the ability of your colleagues is incredulous! :mad:Are you suggesting that crew are served before passengers now? The directive is passengers first, crew second. There are two main course choices and invariably the majority of passengers tend to opt for one, thereby leaving a good deal of passengers and of course crew with no choice. Yes food is provided but it is not specifically designated crew food.

"Salary, Flight pay, work... these are made blatantly clear to you when you are offered a position... As is the requirement of standby duties and location to the airport for them... Read the not so small print before you sign! Even operating 5 flights a month... 10 sectors.... 10 days work at a 10 hour duty overall... In a previous life I used to work 70 hour weeks, and got paid a lot less than I do now... The grass is not always greener!!"

The financial remuneration is correct, and stands up against other carriers agreed, however there is an incredible amount of disinformation during interview stage with the operation being sold to crew as something different. I can only assume that either you have a 'special' roster or I, and many of my colleagues have done something bad in a previous life, as 5 flights a month is NOT the norm, with 7 being more typical for anyone considering joining. Standbys are plentiful are normally placed on days before and after flights, in order to allow bringing forward of duty days. As for duration, both you and IanJ are still far from the mark. I am pleased that you are in a position to state what everyone else can expect in the future and perhaps you could make money in predicting the future as you clearly have access to information that we do not? For the record and the interest of anyone joining, standbys have always been 8 hours 30 minutes, and as you have stated they have changed, but not to 7 hours but 8. Instead of trying to encompass the entire day they now appear (on my roster) at least to cover a morning or an afternoon finishing at 20:00 hours, a positive move I guess.

“Grass always greener” - I totally agree - remember this is for the information of people joining.

"More than minimum rest is provided between back to backs, Silverjet do have arrangements with some hotels to offer a discounted rate for an overnight stop. If you enquire you will find out!"

More than minimum rest – true but misleading, because at the moment it is physically impossible due to the schedule. i.e. arrive Luton at 07:30 AM and back out the next day at 08:30AM. Sure every operator is having to compete these days, but the point has to be made that this is extremely tiring, and the comparisons you hold with charter operators do not hold up, as you have the same hours of work i.e. through the night, but without jet-lag. I am concerned that with DXB, my body clock will become a yo-yo, going west-east on 3 back to backs!:uhoh:

“on our flat beds... Yes they are FLAT!!! they are inclined at an angle of 8 degrees, a 6'3" pitch with 8 actuators to mold to the comfort of the person lying on them with a built in seat back massager... Sorry to quote facts, although they are at a slight angle there are no lumps or bumps, or any disjointedness... they are a Flat Bed.”

Every one is entitled to see the world in their own way and I cannot take that away from you or our passengers, however I can tell you that a great deal of the passengers I have dealt with do not share the same view as you. Many of them think that the seats have broken down as they only recline, as you correctly state to 172 degrees; a constant source of irritation for cabin crew as having to explain that they are in fact fully reclined annoys the passengers. Perhaps other airlines should sell their seats as 8 degrees negatively inclined as they draw comparisons all the time which we as crew have to defend? So flat 8 degrees up now? I hope our pilots don't think the same.:eek:

“If you are having such issues why are you not speaking to management? Even the onboard management team? Any senior worth their salt should be reporting your concerns... I know I do!!!My only recommendation to anyone who is inquisitive about flying with us... apply, come for the assessment centres, and make your own decision... Hearsay and Galley FM are defamatory and uninspiring at the best of time... unless it's finding out who's doing what and with who...
If you want to be treated like an adult, act like one... Use your voice and speak up. Spreading malicious content on a public forum hiding behind a username will not get the answers or results you want.”

It is absolutely clear to me and anyone reading this post, that with your ability to see everyone’s rosters, quote with authority of future issues but inaccurately on day to day crew issues at the coal face, but most importantly react in the way you have, that you are indeed a member of management.

Your very response to the several people that have stated Silverjet is as they have seen it or indeed do now, only serves to add accreditation to the posts about the management attitude to crew, and your post merely lends further credence to them.

I was once very proud to work for Silverjet and apart from paying bills, I thought that it was a breath of fresh air in the industry with values I believed in. To draw comparisons with charter and scheduled operators only serves to show that the choice is much of a muchness and there is very little standing out to join Silverjet for.

Instead of shooting people merely telling how they see it to other interested individuals, the very purpose of Pprune, perhaps I could suggest that you direct your energies at addressing the comments raised? Maybe people are using this forum because they know they will not be heard or tolerated within the company?

If you are management, as I very much suspect, wake up and smell the coffee, and grasp the comments raised on this forum. Address them and change the culture within the company particularly in respect of management attitudes, and you will have an airline that perhaps will become once again something to aspire to work for. I sincerely hope you can turn it around, as at the moment, mine and a good deal of my colleagues enthusiasm is waning, and you have the power to change everything. No doubt you will say that I can leave e.t.c., but remember I am part of your team and have no special desire to join other carriers that you draw comparissons with. However as time goes by, and more people leave, I am beginning to ask myself the qeustion more often.You will probably also state there is not problem – a typical statement from management out of touch with the coal face.

We have a fantastic opportunity, but so many companies within aviation or outside have been lost because of poor management practices. Perhaps you could also do an historical search, try the threads of many companies that have failed in the past on these forums and you will find a similar theme of discussions in the prelude to their demise.

Feedback is good no matter what mode and there is 'no smoke without fire'.

Off for some rest now, happy flying to all.:zzz:

Silver Boy. X

[Ianj]

Silverboy!

You haven't made any quotes from my thread. That must mean you know all I have mentioned and have talked about are fact!! Thank you.

[Silver Boy]

IanJ,

Thanks for the post.

For the record and to correct you, please see my post 28th October 2007, 14:21 which specifically addresses everything you raised, fact or more specifically not fact.

Silverboy x

[Ianj]

Yawnnn! Silver Boy you are of course allowed to make your opinion, its a shame that myself and Beston Board agree with each other and are both up to date with the company and its current 'goings on'.

If you are looking for a bit of "drama" I suggest not knocking the current airline that you work for and pay your wages each month.

To everyone else my last, final comment on the above is apply to Silverjet it really is a great company to work for. If whether the beds are actually flat, which they are, is a reason for not joining Silverjet then maybe you want to apply to another airline??

As for salary, crew food and back to backs please see my above thread,

Take care and good luck to those applying!!! :)

[BestonBoard]

Silver boy, If you are having concerns about management, and the waning attitudes of crew, and are considering leaving if things are continuing the way you perceive them, then why brand yourself Silver?

Your attention to detail is exemplary, my main response regarding defamatory comments etc etc was in response to the persona non grata who is no longer allowed to post on here.

All crew have issues, and I myself am very familiar with the 'coalface' as it were... What you have to remember though, is with enough time, and with the right environment, even coal can become Diamond...

Attitudes are contagious, and starting a war has never been or will be my intention. I would rather negativity from a crew standpoint be nipped in the bud, and for any prospective joiners to our family to be able to make their own mind up without being scared away without even taking a peak.

Arguments can continue over Era's... and I for one do not have the time, energy or mentality to keep a constant to and fro'ing regarding points of view, perception and ideals.

Customers are our main priority, without them we would not exist. However, a crews welfare, it's happiness and it's motivation is also key. An airline cannot operate without a crew...

One more question... regarding minimum rest, and travelling east to west on back to backs??? I take it you are fully versed in CAP371 and are fully aware of FTL and duties that you can perform by law. If there is any doubt, speak to the flight deck on your next duty... They will gladly fill you in...

I bow out from the fray, for I have said all I have to say on the matter.
I hope things change for you I do...
I can honestly say I have never been happier...

Take Care Now, and safe Flying...

[Conny_T_Nental]

The point of this thread seems to be a l'il lost! :bored:

If you wanna work for an airline that calls you and it's customers by name not just a number. If you're prepared to work for you money... even 7 flights (14 sectors... shocking isn't it... bet EZY and BMI Baby cringe!) with a free vacation in NYC or DBX (soon to come) in between, y'all have nothing to lose by applying...

An award winning airline is what we are folks. Us crew will always have issues, and we can still change things quickly...

Hope y'all will make up your own minds.... What have you got to lose! :)

[Silverjet Ginger Boy]

Hi guys. I work for Silverjet (still now) so I think my opinion may be a bit more realistic than the one of some of you here who don't even work for Silverjet or worked ages ago.
I don't understand why somebody would try to say all that bunch of lies about an airline when the idea of this was to help people who want to join the company to have a clearer idea of what the airline is.
As all other airlines it has some points which could improve, but none of them are as bad as to leave the company nor anything, plus its a quite new airline, and that has good and bad points.
I used to do short flights with Ryanair and belive me, that was hard work, more than 3 B2B one after the other. The service is fine, it may be complicated for the 1st 3 flights but you get used to it. The pay is fine, if you work hard you get promotions in a very shot time if you compare it to some other airlines and then your pay increases a lot. About the Unions, they can all go to hell :D I don't think I need them cos our managers are very supportive, so if I have a problem, I just let them know and they sort it for me.
Pax are lovely, but if you're not strong enough to take a bit of sht from them every now and then (as in every other airline) maybe you're not in the right job.
Food is great, but again, fussy people are everywhere.
Last thing guys, if u're not happy with the company, you can do as Stacey did, just leave the company cus if you are moaning in stead of working, you're not really making any good for the company (and trust me, we've got few moaners, they must come from super great airlines...)
I think Ianj gave the most realistic statements of how the airline works, so guys, listen to him, or if you prefer, keep moaning and doing nothing about it, and keep looking for that airline where you work once a month and you get a great pay + they go to the supermarket to get you the crew food that you like and get you a bed to have 5 hours of crew rest on a LTN-EWR, u hard workers ;)

Silverjet Ginger Boy :D

[strake]

Sorry to barge in on your board but as a recent SilverJet convert,I'm now a fairly regular passenger and thought you might like to hear my opinion which, of course, relates to only a small part of the issues you are discussing.
After spending years flying with BA and then deciding to move to Virgin, I decided to try SilverJet for the first time earlier this year. As I have a US office close to Newark the routing was perfect for me. However, this was not the main reason for changing. I was tired of the hassle (at the time) of Heathrow, tired of the reducing service levels in VS and, quite frankly, wanted to fly in a quieter less rushed environment. Nothing, I can assure you, to do with the ticket price or being a "business class wannabee". To be honest, I and twenty or so of my colleagues who also now use SilverJet would happily pay the same or more than current J rates for the above advantages.
Of course there are some minor niggles but I think we all have been very pleased with the quality and service experienced from your company.
I still fly VS for all the other places I have to go to and in my opinion, Silverjet service has a considerable edge although the, to my mind, rather onerous back to back flights do explain some comments about a few return trips.
And the bed? Well, OK it's not Flat as in "horizontal flat" but it is flat as in "smooth flat" and I actually quite like it:)
Sorry if I have entered forbidden territory but I am sure Tightslot will excise me in an instant if I have strayed to far.

[Red-eye]

Hi everyone,

Just wondering if there is anyone else who is starting their initial training in January and if you are moving to the UK for the job?

Looking for someone to share with.

[judder-100]

hello welcome to our company.:D

[av8rboyz]

Hi guys

I start training on monday the 12th. Cant wait!!!
Anyone tell me what the training is like???

Thanks

[Red-eye]

Hi Judder-100,

Thanks for the welcome I look forward to working with you.

I am moving from overseas and was wondering if there is any notices in the crew room for people who have spare rooms to rent.

Would prefer to share with someone from work or another airline if possible.

Any information would be very much appreciated.

Happy flying.

[Silver Boy]

IanJ,

Thanks for your post and in response.....

“Yawnnn! Silver Boy you are of course allowed to make your opinion, its a shame that myself and Beston Board agree with each other and are both up to date with the company and its current 'goings on'.”


So I am allowed my own opinion – that will be a first within Silverjet! :mad:As for being up to date with goings on – I can only imagine that you mean that PR and spin machine that exists as opposed to flying, as virtually every factual statement you have made to date has been corrected by myself or others on the post.

“If you are looking for a bit of "drama" I suggest not knocking the current airline that you work for and pay your wages each month..... To everyone else my last, final comment on the above is apply to Silverjet it really is a great company to work for. If whether the beds are actually flat, which they are, is a reason for not joining Silverjet then maybe you want to apply to another airline??”

That sounds like a threat, and very defensive about the sloping beds, you have confirmed you are management!

Bestonboard,

“Silver boy, If you are having concerns about management, and the waning attitudes of crew, and are considering leaving if things are continuing the way you perceive them, then why brand yourself Silver?"


The name Silver should be obvious to you. Your question says it all, ‘if you don’t subscribe to everything I say, correct or not, then go away!

“Your attention to detail is exemplary, my main response regarding defamatory comments etc etc was in response to the persona non grata who is no longer allowed to post on here.”


Thank you, it was mainly placed to correct IanJ inaccuracies in response to requests from interested people who would have mistakenly thought that 4 trips a month was the norm.

“Attitudes are contagious, and starting a war has never been or will be my intention. I would rather negativity from a crew standpoint be nipped in the bud, and for any prospective joiners to our family to be able to make their own mind up without being scared away without even taking a peak.”

You have confirmed that you are definitely management from that paragraph! If you really believe in what you are saying then take the points I raised in my last post. Your crews can roughly be divided into two types, those who love it and those who hate it, the later mainly because of the culture within the airline of back stabbing, aspiration, poor management supervision and ongoing training. Those that have been brave enough to speak up have been told to put up and shut up, the rest just leave.:ugh:

“Customers are our main priority, without them we would not exist. However, a crews welfare, it's happiness and it's motivation is also key. An airline cannot operate without a crew...”

You have hit the nail on the head and that statement says it all if you read into what you have just said: 'Crew are a necessity, if we keep them happy they will turn up, but customers are everything – wrong!' :uhoh:
First rule of sales management – anyone can get people through the door, it’s keeping them and having them spend over and over again that matters.
We (you and many crew members who think like me), share common ground here. As stated before the concept of Silverjet is a wonderful thing – no argument. However the way the team is being run beggars belief and is indicative of poor management practices right from the top in terms of attitudes to crew. If this were changed the company’s future would be so much better. I am not after holidays down the line, and expect to work for a living.


“One more question... regarding minimum rest, and travelling east to west on back to backs??? I take it you are fully versed in CAP371 and are fully aware of FTL and duties that you can perform by law. If there is any doubt, speak to the flight deck on your next duty... They will gladly fill you in...”


Would be nice to have a copy or exceprt from this as it's not in my manual, so that I could refer to it. I am not suggesting that we are doing anything illegal, but working people to the limits only works short term. You know it as well as I do that people are dropping like flies, some on long term sickness, and of course there are plenty leaving!:{

Conny T Nental

The comparisons you draw between EZY & BMI are incredulous on two counts:

1) To compare short-haul with long haul just does not hold water.
2) EZY & BMI are well run companies unlike ours!

Ginger Boy

Comparing Ryanair with Silverjet again is pointless. I do work for Silverjet right here and now.


“Idea to help people to join on this thread?”

Yes – to give them informed facts about what is really going on. Don’t get me wrong, as I have said in previous posts, there are some good points, but an awful lot is not. We do agree on one point – unions, but not for the same reasons. I have yet to meet a supportive manager within Silverjet!:mad:

“Last thing guys, if u're not happy with the company, you can do as Stacey did, just leave the company cus if you are moaning in stead of working, you're not really making any good for the company (and trust me, we've got few moaners, they must come from super great airlines...)”


Why do you think she left?

Strake

Glad to see you like the product. I think we all agree that what we are striving for is good. I give you this thought of crew when you next fly – think of a duck on a calm lake heading towards the rapids, with its feet furiously paddling beneath the water to stay afloat!:eek:

JAL-Stacey

I have to commend you on your open, honest and frank account of Silverjet – a brave move in the face of the responses you are receiving for merely telling it how it was. The sad truth, despite statements to the contrary, is that nothing has changed; in fact it’s probably become worse!

I wish you all the best in the future.....:D

In summary I don’t think the aim of this post has been lost at all to quote Ginger Boy:


“the idea of this was to help people who want to join the company to have a clearer idea of what the airline is.”


I still work for them and sincerely hope that people like IanJ and Bestonboard will take on board the comments posted here.

Would I join this company again – No.

Do think I think it will improve? I hope so, but I doubt it.

Will I leave? I like many other colleagues are looking, but it’s that old trap of having to pay the bills!

Finally, read my previous posts and those of others and make your own mind up, and to quote Bestonboard:

“The grass is not always greener!!”

Couldn’t agree more and would urge anyone seriously thinking of leaving another company for Silverjet to bear this in mind!

Off for another day at Silverjet!:ugh:

Safe flying to all.

Silverboy x

[TightSlot]

All Silverjet contributors

Good posts, good discussion - but you must stop accusing each other of being 'Management'.

This is an anonymous board - you don't know, for sure, who anybody is: Speculation is pointless, and makes you look foolish.

Argue the points, not the person - who or what a person is has no bearing on the 'right-ness' or 'wrong-ness' of their position.

Thank you

[strake]

I give you this thought of crew when you next fly – think of a duck on a calm lake heading towards the rapids, with its feet furiously paddling beneath the water to stay afloat!
Thank you. I will have that truly imaginative metaphor firmly in my mind throughout my flight to Newark week after next...
Out of interest, why doesn't the duck just fly away.....? :)

[Silverjet Ginger Boy]

"Ginger Boy

Comparing Ryanair with Silverjet again is pointless. I do work for Silverjet right here and now"

- So do I dear :)

To all of you joining Silverjet soon:

Welcome to the company! And don't worry, there's people in the airline who still love being Silver! We don't work just to get the money to pay our bills! (how sad lol)
Anyway just enjoy your job cos it is great! we r really pleased to have new people coming! Red-eye I hope you have a good trip to the UK! The best thing u can do to find an accomodation is to ask the people directly, go to the Silverjet group in Facebook and ask the crew there (90% of the crew are listed there), but I would ask to some ppl from other airlines like Easyjet cos most of the crew in Silverjet live in other parts of the UK and come only when they fly and it's be better for u to live aroud Luton or north London. Hope u get a nice accomodation and i look fwd to flying with u soon! x

[Silver Boy]

Hello Strake,

Thanks for the post.

"Out of interest, why doesn't the duck just fly away.....?"

I am looking, but being trapped for most of the time in an aluminium tube, or in a hotel room trying to catch up on missed sleep - "sorry on vacation as some would have you believe!:yuk:", makes it very difficult.

Glad you like the product - no argument there, just how it's produced!


Ginger Boy,

"Comparing Ryanair with Silverjet again is pointless. I do work for Silverjet right here and now"

- So do I dear"

It was you that questioned the validity of some of the information supplied on here e.g. myself still serving or JAL-Stacey who only left a month or so ago - not ages ago, and nothing has changed, if anything become worse!:=

"We don't work just to get the money to pay our bills!"

If you care to read my message carefully you will see that the comment was referring to leaving without going to another job. Despite waning enthusiasm, I still give my best to the job, however I cannot afford to live on thin air.:ugh:

"I would ask to some ppl from other airlines like Easyjet"

To balance your argument I would also suggest asking those who are leaving as well, including those returning to previous companies, and even for EasyJet!


Happy flying / sleeping / job hunting e.t.c.........


Silver Boy x

[judder-100]

lets just enjoy the ride guy's..!! it's ok writing things on here but allot of it is miss leading to others ,now lets make our company into a more stronger one..now put down the handbags and pick up the lead.:D

[Silverjet Ginger Boy]

U're right judder-100! There's no point :)

[Silver Boy]

Silver Ginger Boy,

"U're right judder-100! There's no point"

Shame the people that have sent me private messages thanking me for an honest view of Silverjet don't agree with you!

judder-100

"now lets make our company into a more stronger one..now put down the handbags and pick up the lead."

Couldn't agree with you more. I have been waiting a year now and things in Silverjet have gone from bad to worse.

"it's ok writing things on here but allot of it is miss leading to others"

Don't get me wrong, Silverjet does have a few good points, but you really have to be wearing rose-tinted glasses not to notice all the bad in the company which starts right at the top! Some of the responses to negative people on this thread mimic exactly the responses from within the company!

A balanced argument needs views from both sides - something you do not get in Silverjet!:ugh:

Happy Flying.

Silver Boy x

[diesel36]

Ive got an interview coming up soon for silverjet,

Im going to go then decide if its for me (if i get offered it that is)

Any info on the interview much appreciated.

[Silver Boy]

JAL-Stacey,

Good to hear your doing well!

"I don't understand though the position from people who just want to bury their head in the sand and unquestionably and blindly defend Silverjet. Do they realize they're being exploited or are they simply masochistic???"

Following the examples of the management I would suggest! ;)
Perhaps the position is that if they show their heads they know they will be told to put up and shut up, otherwise their heads will be torn off.:mad::ugh:

"Do they realize they're being exploited or are they simply masochistic???"

It's a case of propaganda deliberately engineered by the company, lack of experience leading to nothing to compare with, and hollow promises. Come to think of it Silverjet has a lot in common with this government!!:eek:

737Chick,

Good to see you back!

"The majority (not all) lack the real skills to manage such a cabin operation and I feel in my personal opinion that this is part of the problem and not "Silverjet" as a company."

Couldn't agree with you more!! The concept is great. The guy at the top who thought it up rather switched on. The problem is the people he chooses to surround himself with, who lead badly from the top. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't even know how bad things are!

"Cabin crew or employees are always going to have an opinion either way and as long as these opinions are voiced in the appropriate manner, I do feel that it it important to let everyone have their views."

Feedback is vital to any business especially aviation companies, in Silverjet it is positively inhibited.

"It is only a matter of time before the "fence" crew start realising that there are more moral boosting jobs out there. I can live with slightly lower wages but low moral is something that I don't think anyone enjoys...even management. Lets face it, it is becoming more and more apparent that Silverjet only really care about their reputation and not the crews.......crew issues never seem to be that important or at the very most take the back seat to everything else."

I agree, and it's only a matter of time before the momentum of the situation overtakes the airline. It is a great shame as I have said in previous posts. If only the management could wake-up from their self-deluding positions and realise that a company cannot function for long like this, then perhaps, and I mean perhaps, there would be a real chance of Silverjet turning around. I wouldn't want to bet on it though!:rolleyes:

"I have been in the industry longer than some who speak on here but not as long as many others who I have seen come and go....and boy, have we lost some great crew and S/C's....I can think of a good few who I can say I had the pleasure to fly with."

I totally agree, some real stars have left for new lives and the company just shrugs it off almost happy to see talent go.:{ Good luck to them. Silverjets loss!!!:D

diesel36

"Any info on the interview much appreciated."

I joined a year ago so cannot comment directly on the question, however judging from the comments from other posters on this thread (worth a read), it would suggest that they appear to select the 'quite ones in the corner'. I'll let you draw your own conclusions!! :rolleyes: Good luck.


Happy flying.


Silver Boy. x

Silverjet - The 'unsilivised' place to work!

[TightSlot]

FYI - There is an important difference between morale and moral - confusing the two can sometimes lead to some embarrassment.



:eek:

[Silver_Guardian]

Please take a moment to familiarise yourself with your contracts.

[Silver Boy]

Hello Tight Slot,

"FYI - There is an important difference between morale and moral - confusing the two can sometimes lead to some embarrassment."

Point taken regarding quote from 737chick. Upon reflection there is scope in seeing her comment regarding Silverjet from both angles.;)

Silver_Gaurdian,

Welcome and glad to know we have one in this company, where have you been?

"Please take a moment to familiarise yourself with your contracts."

Do tell why as it's something the company never does?


Happy Flying,

Silver Boy. x

Silverjet - The unsivilised place to work!

[Silver Boy]

Hi JAL-Stacey,

Good to hear from you.

"How wonderful and "sivilised" !!! Silverjet's pathetic attempt to restrict freedom of speech on the internet!!

Couldn't agree with you more!:eek:

Watch out people, Big Brother and the stalinists are watching you"

It is so sad that the attitude of put up and shut up is everywhere within Silverjet, and now on here.:yuk:

Silver Guardian,

"Please take a moment to familiarise yourself with your contracts."

Strange that comment - as we have just received a email from the top! But just as with a contract, read the small print at the bottom of the email - 'oh by the way, new contracts on the way to replace old, and YOU MUST SIGN them upon receipt and send back without delay'. The pilots had to do this recently and I believe were told 'you have 2 weeks to do so or you no longer have a job'.:mad: Enforced changes to contracts are illegal without negotiation and consent on both sides.

As Silver Gaurdian says, 'please take a moment to familiarise yourself with your contracts', but not for the same reasons as me, because I'll bet that when the new contracts arrive, there be plenty of enforced changes dressed up under 'enhancements', that when you start digging you'll find are benefiting the company and not us! :=

Watch out, just when you thought things couldn't get any worse at Silverjet.:ugh:

Will keep you updated.


Happy Flying.


Silverboy. x

Silverjet - The Unsivilised Place to Work.

[BestonBoard]

Are these issues not to be discussed on the silverjet-crew discussions string? They seem to have little to do with wanabees or recruitment. If and when wanabees do join us, their contracts will be applicable to them at the time. Just a suggestion.

[TightSlot]

I've renamed this thread - Silverjet don't yet have a volume of wannabees on this forum sufficient to justify their own thread so we'll keep it all here for now.

[Silver Boy]

Hi Bestonboard,

Good to see you back, and glad you have found 'the time' to post again!!

"Are these issues not to be discussed on the silverjet-crew discussions string? They seem to have little to do with wanabees or recruitment. If and when wanabees do join us, their contracts will be applicable to them at the time. Just a suggestion."

Any forum is to exchange information e.t.c. on a particular subject. Whilst I agree that specific items are not well suited to a general discussion, the broad intent of the possible changes needs to be brought to the attention of anyone thinking of joining Silverjet, as they will be joining a demoralised cabin crew workforce with lots of infighting, backstabbing e.t.c., which will only intensify with contractual changes. Wannabees need to have the facts, not just the PR machine!

TightSlot,

"I've renamed this thread - Silverjet don't yet have a volume of wannabees on this forum sufficient to justify their own thread so we'll keep it all here for now."

Strange that,:rolleyes: perhaps people are actually reading it for the purpose it's designed for?:D

Thanks for doing a good moderator job - much appreciated.

Happy Flying.

Silver Boy. x

Silverjet - The Unsivilised Place to Work.

[diesel36]

Well ive been for an interview.

ive been flying 10 years, been for a couple of interviews and my god this is

the worst ive ever been too. very unprofessional, just out and out rude.

They never introduced themselves, never smiled and only boasted how good

they were.. NO THANKS..

and before the silverjet bashers start no i didnt get it and thank god.

The only ones that got through were non flyers, then why you interviewing

for cabin managers..

And no im not bitter, just thankfull i dont have to put up with that s~~t

My mates partner is on there course now and already wants to leave.

[Silverjet Ginger Boy]

Hi guys.

I haven't written much in the last couple of weeks, and thats cos this threat is making me sick.
The people who is talking all that pile of crap are just a bunch of cowards! why don't you tell management about all this? why do you keep moaning here where you can just say whatever you feel like?
Do you know what is the only bad thing about Silverjet? People like Mr Silverboy who just spend their flights bitching about the company at the back galley. Thanks God course 1, 2, 3 etc will be a minority, left aside with their "seniority" (8 months, LOL) when all these new courses start in the next months. Lets refresh the company guys, and those of you who can only moan (easy in a web site but not to management) keep loookin for another job...we don't need u on line, but I doubt u can get one...
U sad little creatures LOL

PS: JAL-Stacey, can u get over it? u dont work for Silverjet dear, dont u have any better things to do than talkin about ur old job? what an interesting life...u must have a much better job now LOL

Welcome to the company to all the new ppl :D

[BestonBoard]

Sorry to hear you had a bad experience Diesel. Recruitment is led by HR and an Outsourced Recruitment company. I cannot speak for their methods I'm afraid.

Silverboy, I am inquisitive. In your original entrance to the discussion, you state that you are tired, and overworked. Experiencing more than 5 trips a month. At the moment, a great deal of crew are experiencing a higher volume of work. The basics come down to the fact that we still require a great deal of crew to operate for the arrival of aircraft 4 and 5.

Will it not help with your tiredness and rest if we have a greater number of crew available to operate? Discussions are great, as they do get opinions across. However, the majority of things that are coming across are airing on the negative side. It seems to be a vicious circle. Do we not need the manpower to aid our growth and our working conditions? Are all things that bad? You yourself have said that the idea is there... Would a more positive approach from the people who have to deal with it on a daily basis not help increase the motivation and drive within the work environment? I remember seeing a motivational poster in a previous life, a long time ago, it said, and I quote... "Attitudes are contagious, is yours worth catching?" Your most reliable compadre on here is an ex-employee. If you were thinking outside of the box, would an ex employee, who was with the airline for less than 6 months be a great companion in waging a war?

In laymans terms, no crew, no job...

Any guidance in my understanding that you can provide would be greatly appreciated. For it seems the path you are on does seem to be a lose/lose situation.

May I ask what previous airlines you have worked for? For if you think that Silverjet is the most etc etc... I'm sorry, it begrudges me to twist our tag line in any way, I am intrigued to which work environment you are comparing it to.

Thank you Tightslot, there do seem to be very few wanabees that post. However, I do hear we have a great turnout at our Assessment Centres.

[BestonBoard]

Please do not tarnish all inaugral crew with the same brush. We do not all operate in the same vein... Thanks!

[Silverjet Ginger Boy]

mostly intellectually deficient people

JAL Stacey, u are such a rude person, how dare you insulting me and my ex colleagues like that? I'm not surprised, but remember that the fact of being anonymous does't give you the right to insult anybody, and if you think your comments are so right, why do you need to put the rest down?...You're very wrong.

BestonBoard, sorry for saying that about the crew from courses 1, 2 and 3, I just meant some of them, but of course there's lovely people from those courses. I'm sure you're a great employee for what I can read on your posts. My apologies.

Finally, I'd like to remind to people who don't work for the ailine industry and who might read this threat that most of the cabin crew working for Silverjet are really happy with their job, thats why they don't need to write here. I am really pleased with my job, but I do participate in this because I am very disappointed with people who don't know how to sort out their problems and think talking crap about their company will change something. Please, don't think everyone so unprofessional in the airline.

Take care.

[Morissette]

You gotta be slightly feeble-minded to have to pay for your training, an ugly uniform, car park pass and work for a company that pays peanuts and doesn't provide crew with any food !
Couldn't agree more with the above statement! Working for Ryanair is an irrefutable proof of imbecility!

[TightSlot]

Calm down people please - best behavior at all times!

Gold Stars for the good ones and early to bed if you're naughty...

[flygirl28]

Healthy debate is always welcome and everyone is entitled to their own opinions with regards to how they view their employment or ex employment at Silverjet.
Its very easy to think the grass is greener elsewhere. For those of us that have flown before, we know this isn't true and to a certain extent every airline has its sh*t its just that it is dealt with a different shovel! I do think that when people change airline (and they change for a reason)they suddenly don rose tinted glasses with regards to their previous employment.
I know that those cynics amongst you will shout that you left your previous companies for Silverjet because you were being offered better terms and conditions (money....) and for some of you that may be true, but for the majority i would guess it was because you were not happy with the terms and conditions and general cr*p you were being served by your then employers and you imagined SJ to be better.
As with all companies, its what you make it. You have a choice. Come to work and enjoy it for what it is or whine and moan and make your life and everyone elses a misery. Of course, the other choice is to leave....and before you shout again that you 'need the job and the money, and their is no where else to go blah blah blah', we all know that not to be true....if its making you that miserable stop whinging and do something about it....
Personally i think we have one of the best crews i have ever worked with, who are incredably motivated, fun and want the company to succeed. As for the management i find them to be accomodating, approachable and open to suggestions. Try talking to them, you might just be suprised by the response that you get.

[Silver Boy]

Diesel36,

Good to hear from you.

"Well ive been for an interview.
ive been flying 10 years, been for a couple of interviews and my god this is the worst ive ever been too. very unprofessional, just out and out rude."

Well I did try and give you an insight into Silverjet. I guess out of every bad experience you gain something, even if it's to confirm that you should stay where you are!

"The only ones that got through were non flyers, then why you interviewing for cabin managers..

No experience = No expectations in the role = easy to steam-role?

"They never introduced themselves, never smiled and only boasted how good they were.. NO THANKS.."

Regular day at the office in Silverjet!:mad:



Hi Silver Ginger Boy,


Thanks for the post.

"The people who is talking all that pile of c**p, why don't you tell management about all this? .....(easy in a web site but not to management)"

I think you have just stated, your words not mine, what I have been saying before, the management just don't listen, it's a case of put up and shut up, or leave!:ugh:

"People like Mr Silverboy who just spend their flights bitching about the company at the back galley"

So you admit I'm now not the only one.

"Thanks God course 1, 2, 3 etc will be a minority"

I rest my case, back stabbing, in-fighting is rife and you have just proved it!

"BestonBoard, sorry for saying that about the crew from courses 1, 2 and 3, I just meant some of them, but of course there's lovely people from those courses. I'm sure you're a great employee for what I can read on your posts. My apologies."

Wops - shot your boss in the foot perhaps?:rolleyes:

"PS: JAL-Stacey, can u get over it? u dont work for Silverjet dear, dont u have any better things to do than talkin about ur old job? what an interesting life...u must have a much better job now LOL"


This thread was set up to tell people about Silverjet. Everything JAL-Stacey has said about Silverjet is true, something in Silverjet that often is not the case. It should be pretty obvious to you that JAL-Stacey has a better job Diesel36, and is telling other people to avoid making the same mistakes with Silverjet.


Bestonboard,

Wow - just when we thought you had gone forever, you have somehow 'found time' for more! Good to see you!

"Recruitment is led by HR and an Outsourced Recruitment company. I cannot speak for their methods I'm afraid."


Really. That's new and never happened until Diesel36's interview.

Perhaps judging by the comments here, we might consider making it more 'Sivilised' before there is no-one left willing to waste their time on the company. Judging by the fact that you know a lot or are involved with recruitment, it might be worth looking at this!

"Silverboy, I am inquisitive. In your original entrance to the discussion, you state that you are tired, and overworked. Experiencing more than 5 trips a month. At the moment, a great deal of crew are experiencing a higher volume of work. The basics come down to the fact that we still require a great deal of crew to operate for the arrival of aircraft 4 and 5."

The main motivation behind my post was to correct the woefully inaccurate statements from posters of '4 trips a month versus 7:yuk:', '4 to 6 hour standbys versus 8 hours 30 minutes:yuk::yuk:', and 'rows of 3 back to back flights!:yuk::yuk::yuk:'.

Sure we need more crew, but a large part of the problem is not getting gullible people through the door, it's stopping people leaving when they really find out what life's like within!

"the majority of things that are coming across are airing on the negative side."

Precisely so - a reflection of within the company?

"Attitudes are contagious, is yours worth catching?"

Wow - mind-blowing stuff and I totally agree with you- really.:D

However instead of telling me, tell the management of the company, who at every opportunity fail to grasp this; this attitude being lead from the very top! Ops - forgot, they don't listen - silly me!:ugh:

"If you were thinking outside of the box, would an ex employee, who was with the airline for less than 6 months be a great companion in waging a war?"

Reading into what you are saying, it sounds like another threat - standard day at Silverjet.:mad:

If you were thinking outside the box, you would realise that there is no greater ambassador for a company than happy ex-employee, who can quickly spread the word, even point people towards the company. It comes done to one basic principle - telling the truth!

"For it seems the path you are on does seem to be a lose/lose situation."

I appreciate your reasoning, and I am trying to do something about it, however whilst I am still here, and I still have 'moral' values, I only wish to tell the truth to interested individuals.

"May I ask what previous airlines you have worked for? For if you think that Silverjet is the most etc etc... I'm sorry, it begrudges me to twist our tag line in any way, I am intrigued to which work environment you are comparing it to."

You don't have to have work anywhere else to compare Silverjet. Look around you at crew members leaving, off on long term sickness, demoralised by their management. Every company in aviation has their own market place such as Ryanair and Easyjet, the difference is that those companies are actually quite well run when compared to Silverjet!

Silverjet's solution to the problem - throw more crew at the symptoms instead of addressing the problem itself. Wow - our company has so much in common with this government, maybe we should get Blair in to sort it out!:rolleyes:



JAL-Stacey,

Good post!

Even the likes of easyJet and Bmibaby give you a minimum of 8 DO). I equally believe I have the duty to inform people and warn them about the so-called company Silverjet.

Totally correct, and without 3 back to back New York flights with Jet-lag!

"I do understand where you're coming from and your skewed plea though, you used to work for Ryanair, a company that employs mostly intellectually deficient people willing to be exploited, bullied and abused. Silverjet must unsurprisingly appear like the Golden Company to you..."

Perhaps a little harsh - everyone has a choice. The main point I would make is that the likes of BMI, Easy and Ryanair are relatively well run when compared to Silverjet!

"And again, it's up to people reading the thread to make up their mind, not you."

Tell the truth and let people make their own minds up! Simple!



Hi Morissette,

"You gotta be slightly feeble-minded to have to pay for your training, an ugly uniform, car park pass and work for a company that pays peanuts and doesn't provide crew with any food !
Couldn't agree more with the above statement! Working for Ryanair is an irrefutable proof of imbecility!"

Everyone has a place and choice in this world. Ryanair is still in business, which is more than I feel Silverjet will be in the future, unless the top management wake up and grasp the issues raised on here. Mike O'Leary is a bright guy at the top with a good concept, something our company shares in common. Unfortunately that's where the good similarities stop!!! At least with Ryanair, you get what it say's on the tin; nothing is further from the truth with Silverjet.


flygirl28,

Thanks for the post.

"Healthy debate is always welcome and everyone is entitled to their own opinions with regards to how they view their employment or ex employment at Silverjet.Its very easy to think the grass is greener elsewhere. For those of us that have flown before, we know this isn't true and to a certain extent every airline has its sh*t its just that it is dealt with a different shovel! I do think that when people change airline (and they change for a reason)they suddenly don rose tinted glasses with regards to their previous employment."

I think if you read carefully the posts on here, most of them don't say that, more just telling it as it is.

"Of course, the other choice is to leave....and before you shout again that you 'need the job and the money, and their is no where else to go blah blah blah', we all know that not to be true....if its making you that miserable stop whinging and do something about it...."

Try doing that on 7 flights a month, 3 back to backs and living in a tube - it's not easy. I could go sick for an interview, but that will just come back and hit me in the face with another back to back later in the month on a standby day!:{

"Personally i think we have one of the best crews i have ever worked with, who are incredably motivated, fun and want the company to succeed. As for the management i find them to be accomodating, approachable and open to suggestions. Try talking to them, you might just be suprised by the response that you get."

Yes some of the cabin crew are excellent, but this is not a reflection on the company more the individual's approach to the job. As for talking to the management, wow - you must be a mind reader.

Spot on! I have tried and been totally surprised by the responses I have received! Put up, shut up or leave!! Accomodating, approachable, open to suggestions - are you sure you have the right airline thread, because that's not Silverjet for sure!:yuk:

Well I'm off for some rest before my next flight.


Happy flying, job hunting, sleeping e.t.c.


Silver Boy.x

Silverjet - The Unsivilised Place to Work.

[sunnysunny]

Hello there,
After I read your article, I start to rethink my decision. Currently, I am work for long haul carrier as senior purser. I get offer as flight coordinator with sliverjet. They told me that I can apply for IM after 6 monthes. I need to resign from my current position first , then join sliver jet. It is very hard decision to make.So many questions in my mind. I was wondering how many flights do u need to operate each month? is pay good? etc...
Plz help me out, before I resign.
many thanks!

[sunnysunny]

Hello Stacey,
Thank you for your information.It is very helpful. I was wondering how many days off you have each month roughly? Also,after back to back, how many days off ?I have been told that they are normally operating 5 flights to 5 and half a month. Did you ever have quite month which have more days off, due to busy month previously?How many people can you nominate to have discounted travel? How many free ticket do you entitle to have per year?Do you need to pay your own medical check and car park?
I am so sorry about my questions, as I really want to know more before I get into it.
Many thanks for your time .
regards,
Sunny

[Silver Boy]

Hi Sunnysunny,

"I was wondering how many flights do u need to operate each month? is pay good? etc..."

Best place to look is through the posts already on this thread to date.

As JAL-Stacey says you can expect the following:

7 flights rostered a month, each covering 3 days.

Plenty of standby days

Several back to backs - i.e. arrive back from New York / Dubai and out again straight away the next day.

Personally I find these very hard, and the most I have had is 3 in a row, after which only 2 days off, absolutely exhausted due to the lack of sleep!!!

Pay is industry average:

Cabin Crew £10500 plus £2.75 an hour duty pay (dp)

IFSC £14000 (£14500) plus dp

IFM £17000 plus dp

As JAL-Stacey says around £1500 a month after tax, anything over that and you'll know you have worked for it.:eek:

There are many people leaving / off sick at the moment so don't figure on not being called on your standby days. Best way of describing it is long-haul flying on a short-haul roster!!:mad:

Interview process appears to pick out the 'quite ones', although I cannot directly comment on this having been with the company for a year now.

Promotion - yes there is, but it's hugely competitive within the company and there is plenty of back-stabbing going by people to achieve what they want.:uhoh:

Best advice to you, quoting what other people have said - ' is the grass isn't always greener' - meaning if you are broadly happy where you are, then it's probably not worth the gamble!


Have a good read of everything that everyone has said on this thread and then make up your own mind, but for what it's worth I am trying to leave!:ugh:


If you have any other questions please do not hesitate to ask.


Good luck job hunting!


Silver Boy. x


Silverjet - The Unsivilised Place to Work.

[sunnysunny]

Hello there,
Thank you for all your information:). I also would like to know that how many friend and family members can you nominate to have discount travel
? For crew self, how many free tickets which are entitled? I have been told that normally you are expecting 5 to 5 1/2 flights a month. If in certain month, you have 7 flights:\, will u have quiter month afterwards?as by law, you only allow to fly 900 hours a year.:= Also, is company paying for your medical checkup and car park at Luton airport? Finally, how many days off you have roughtly a month?
So sorry that I have so many questions to ask, as it is a really hard decision to make:confused:.
Many thanks for your time and help:ok:.
Regards,
Sunny

[VS2BA]

Hi Sunny, I think I had my interview with you.... I was also offered to SC position after being told in my 121 that there was no way I would be considered for the IFM position as my flying experience was over 3 years ago even though this was the role I applied for and was invited to interview for!!

Silverjet seem like a great company and I am sure they will do well but as I need some roster stability and the lack of structure to rostering trips with back to backs and no standard MBTR days off etc just isn't for me at the moment. That combined with out of town hotels and not great money has helped my decision, along with all the posts on here so thanks to all of you for your open and honest opinions of the company.

Sunny, if you are who I think you are then I think you should think very carefully as the grass isn't always greener but having said that, if all goes to plan at Silverjet I am sure things will settle down and the chances for promotion seem to be good.

I have been offered a position with BA at LHR but am currently in the hold pool so am going to take my chances on that for now, maybe I'll see you in the future if it doesn't work out!

Best of luck everyone!

VS2BA

[BestonBoard]

VS2BA, I am sorry you won't be joining us. In regards to the Role of IFM, I am sure you can appreciate you would be in charge of a team of 10 cabin crew on board a wide bodied Long haul aircraft (and responsible for their welfare whilst they are down route). The CAA do stipulate rules and regulations to the recency of your flying experience to be a senior member of crew.
I hope the discussions on here have given you some insight, and have enabled you to make an informed decision.
In regards to roster stability. I believe recruitment will be taking place on a weekly basis next year and when our numbers increase (we do require approximately 350 crew for 5 aircraft) Rosters should stablise with a higher degree of regularity.
Salary payments are highly subjective. Thanks to Silverboy et al for providing examples. If you take into account the fact that you are paid your basic whether your are flying or not (I can quote that some clerical assistants earn a lower basic than our cabin crew salary, and they do not have the benefit of flight pay, uprank payments etc.) It is basic math, take your basic salary and deduct PAYE and NIC. Then work out your duty hours, multiply this by the flight pay rate and add this on top of your basic. You will get a pretty good idea of how much you can expect to receive. The more you work, the more you receive!
Our benefits do include staff travel concessions (including discounted rates at the hotels we use), a non contributory pension scheme, 28 days annual leave (plus wrap around days), RDO's on a monthly basis if you wish, service awards, permanent contracts (subject to receipt of CRC and successfully gaining a US Visa and Airport ID) plus other benefits which are unfortunatley a little morbid including death in duty insurance and full medical insurance whilst on duty (including the commute to and from base.)
I appreciate that other long haul carriers do offer sector pay and allowances down route, which for some are beneficial. The industry we work in is subject to delays unfortunately. An aircraft is a machine and it requires maintenance. Take into account other elements such as the human factor, FTL, weather and even diversions etc for operational requirements, and you will not receive any extra payment on sector pay basis (unless your duty hours are extremely extended.) With flight pay you are paid an hourly rate from check in to check out, covering any eventualities that may arise.
It is worthwhile taking this all into account when considering accepting your position or not.
Our team are not 'the norm' when it comes to the role of cabin crew. Yes we are expected to work. Flying for a previous legacy carrier, I am sure you can appreciate a business or club class cabin does not typically hold 102 customers, and more often than not you will only be operating from one galley to cater for their needs. When you have an aircraft capable of holding 300 people, reduced to accepting just 102 business class customers, the size of the aircraft doesn't change. On a busy flight, you will know you are earning your money. If you take into the account the reason you want to be crew though, having the chance to be able to talk to your customers and get to know them a little better within an approximate 7 and a half hour flight time to NYC, rather than having to rush and race to try and complete several services to a greater number of people within the same time allotted, the benefits and personal rewards are there.
We are a dynamic growing airline, who has very recently secured further funding for increased expansion. We will be going places. To have expanded from no aircraft to three non conventional refits and cabin types within a year is somewhat of an achievement I believe. The future is looking very bright for us.
The inaugral crews commenced training approximately a year ago now, and what a year it has been. To be able to have such a hands on approach to developing our service and standards, and seeing it come into effect does promote a sence of ownership and posession. There are a great number of the Silverjet Set that are out there that are very proud to say they work for 'The Worlds Most Sivilised Airline'. Having won several awards in less than a year of operation, above 80 percent load factors, constantly increasing revenue customers and a great on time performance (we have had technical issues and some severe delays, please do not get me wrong, but if you look at things on the grand scale, we are doing exceptionally well.)
We have a great mix of individuals within our onboard team. Unfortunately within every work environment, you cannot please all of the people, all of the time. Whether this be an office, a factory or indeed onboard an aircraft. During my time here, I have seen some amazing individuals join and leave us. A personal decision in the majority of cases, and I truly wish them all well in whatever endeavours they pursue.
Some are not over pleased with the Assessment centres they have attended. It is worth noting that these days are as much for your benefit, alongside that of the company. You have to determine if becoming part of the crew is going to be right for you. We have to determine if you have got what it takes to consistently deliver a standard of service that we expect. Believe it or not, the experience that our recruitment team have is overwhelming. The fact that our outsourced recruiters are impartial to Silverjet (they do recruit for many airlines and other companies throughout the world) may be seen as a deficit, or a benefit.

One year on in Silverjet, and I can honestly say I am as motivated and driven to deliver the Silver standard as I was from day one, if not more. Contrary to what may have been previously posted, I am not one to either put up or shut up (my mouth can be my own worst enemy at times...) Fingers crossed I am still progressing well.

I too have experienced high pressure working conditions, minimum rest, back to back trips (I am in between one now)... Personally having some of the highest flying hours for a crew member over the past year, I am still keen and enthusiastic.

Not everything can be standardised, and perception and individuality are key factors in how you deal with your day to day life. What one person may thrive on, another may be in dismay at.

There are times you have to take a step back, and think outside of the 'tube' and contemplate... I can fully empathise for those who do not see things the same way I do. Their perception of Silverjet is their own. No one can take that away from them, for that is their right.

I would just encourage anybody who is interested, to take the chance and make your own mind up.

On a final note, for those of us who aren't as happy as they would like to be, and who a trying to leave us, I wish you every success in your future career, wherever it may take you. I would like to thank you on behalf of myself and the rest of the team for your hard work up to this point. However, I cannot speak for everybody, and some may have a different viewpoint to me...

Safe and Happy flying to all of you out there...

BoB
Silverjet - Changing Air Travel Forever...

[BestonBoard]

Hi.... I hope you will consider us...
My esteemed coleague and ex colleague have answered some of your enquiries.
In regards to medical checks and car park etc... These are all funded by the company. You will be expected to pay some initial costs in gaining a visa and criminal record check, but the company will reimburse you.
The rate of approximately 5.5 trips a month is an average quote (taking into account the 900 hours rule, you are allocated approximately one calendar months annual leave... 900 hours divided by 11 months, does work out at an average of 5.5 trips per month, working from our typical duty time)
By law you have to receive your minimum days off. Whether this be 1 in 7, 2 in 14 etc.

"7 flights rostered a month, each covering 3 days.

Plenty of standby days

Several back to backs"

To quote Silverboys post.... In this case, supported by evidence from JAL-Stacey...
Taking into account the majority of months have 31 days...

7 Flights ... 21 days duty
6 Days off (According to JAL-stacey)
By my calculations that is 27 days??? So that would mean 4 days of either standby or contactable. Plenty is a subjective term. A lot to one individual, may be nothing to another.

Staff travel concessions include nominating family/partners and friends as travel companions, and alongside receiving free flights, you nominated travel companions can fly all business class to any of our destinations, as often as they like, for an extremely discounted fare...

I hope this helps, and good luck with your decision making... I hope you make the right choice for you!

BoB
Very Sivilised

[VS2BA]

BOB,

I think Silverjet is a great company and will continue to do well. The only position I could afford to leave my current role for was the IFM position which is why I studied the advertised requirements carefully (includiing 2 years minimum flying experience - no mention of recency) and applied and accepted an interview for that role.

I am really disappointed not to be able to join the company but simply cannot afford to at present. Having worked for an airline before I understand that you accept a lifestyle that requires you to be flexible, however, I also understand that MBTR, days off etc are vital to maintain a healthy work/life balance which is in the interests of both employer and employee.

I appreciate your comments and can honestly say that I have taken everything you have said into account when making my decision.

I wish everyone applying to Silverjet the best of luck and believe that all comments on this thread and infomation provided at the interview combined with each individuals personal circumstances will ensure they make a decision that is right for them.

[befree]

We are a dynamic growing airline, who has very recently secured further funding for increased expansion. We will be going places. To have expanded from no aircraft to three non conventional refits and cabin types within a year is somewhat of an achievement I believe. The future is looking very bright for us.

In May 2006 they raised £25.3 million by an IPO at 112p/share
In April 2007 they raised £26million by issueing new shares at 180p/share.
At the end of september they had only £14million left and the accounts were quailfied with a comment from the accountants about them not being a going concern unless the raised more cash.
Yesterday the reported they were to raise £22 million by issueing new shares at 60p/share and a loan convertable to shares at the same 60p/share.
The planes are sold off to a leasing firm. Most of the cash has been burned running the airline at a massive loss. The future will only be bright if the crude oil price drops back a lot.

[DrPat]

Sorry to butt-in but the 900 hours a year rule only applies to flight deck, not cabin crew :8 Also, I don't believe 6 days off a month is legal - think the minimum is 7 with an average over 3 months of 8 days off per month (ie - must have 24 days off in 3 months) :}

[DrPat]

Think that's just from my companys' FTL - I have been known to be wrong once or twice :E I think that 6 is the absolute minimum though, it is basically your 1 off in 8 and 2 consecutive in 14 days off :uhoh:

[Mr Angry from Purley]

Dr Pat

900 flying hours now apply to Cabin Crew - Working Time Directive

Correct about the days off :)

Jal - did you have any days off down route - these legally can count but not ideal

befree - accountants comment about going concern mentioned again in report out yesterday also, even Directors seemed to suggest it although they were conifident of getting the loan :\

[DrPat]

My memory aint what it was Mr Angry :} Thanks for the clarification :ok:

[flygirl28]

would love to see the roster where you are only getting 6 days off.....i doubt very much that that is the case.

[Silver Boy]

Hello Best on Board,

Great your out of retirement and back on board! Like the colour of your text - really!

The first half of your post explains the terms & conditions of Silverjet which is all correct - the only point I would add is nothing there is over and above other airlines, and some benefits provided by other airlines, as you have quite rightly pointed out, are not there. Nothing sets it out from the rest!

"Contrary to what may have been previously posted, I am not one to either put up or shut up (my mouth can be my own worst enemy at times...) Fingers crossed I am still progressing well."

No one has suggested that you personally put-up and shut up, rather that when talking to Silverjet management that's the response you will receive, unless of course you have a different channel to them?

"I too have experienced high pressure working conditions, minimum rest, back to back trips (I am in between one now)... Personally having some of the highest flying hours for a crew member over the past year, I am still keen and enthusiastic."

Anyone working in the cabin crew world will know that the job is hard work, but in Silverjet it is the combined maximum legal rostering with poor management that sets it apart. I am pleased you are still keen and enthusiastic - it is obvious that your operation to be assimilated into the Silverjet Borg was a success, and mine was not!:sad:

"Personally having some of the highest flying hours for a crew member over the past year"

How do you know this? Do you have special access to all our records or are you just making assumptions that you fly more than myself and others?

"Not everything can be standardised, and perception and individuality are key factors in how you deal with your day to day life. What one person may thrive on, another may be in dismay at."

Absolutely right - however after a year now you would start to think that the company would be putting things right wouldn't you?

"There are times you have to take a step back, and think outside of the 'tube'

We have moved on from thinking outside the box now, tube today, what next the Borg mothership?

and contemplate... I can fully empathise for those who do not see things the same way I do. Their perception of Silverjet is their own. No one can take that away from them, for that is their right."

Blimey - you have changed your tune from previous posts!

"On a final note, for those of us who aren't as happy as they would like to be, and who a trying to leave us, I wish you every success in your future career, wherever it may take you. I would like to thank you on behalf of myself and the rest of the team for your hard work up to this point. However, I cannot speak for everybody, and some may have a different viewpoint to me..."


Are you sure your still Best on Board?

"My esteemed coleague"

Are you feeling alright? - you'll be sending me a Christmas card next!

"The rate of approximately 5.5 trips a month is an average quote (taking into account the 900 hours rule, you are allocated approximately one calendar months annual leave... 900 hours divided by 11 months, does work out at an average of 5.5 trips per month, working from our typical duty time)"

Now we are talking numbers - and this is where the problem lies.

Because of insufficent numbers we are being worked to the limits at the moment of 7 trips a month. Sure in the long term the averages have to be addressed and we have some crew members doing less than this to address their high hours. But with continued expansion, and high levels of people leaving, and high levels of sickness, I do not see an end to it.

"7 Flights ... 21 days duty
6 Days off (According to JAL-stacey)
By my calculations that is 27 days??? So that would mean 4 days of either standby or contactable. Plenty is a subjective term. A lot to one individual, may be nothing to another."

Six days a month I have experienced. And remember whenever you have leave the rostering department count those days towards your legal minimum. The legal amount I am told is an average of 8 days off, so some months expect less and some more, and you leave to count towards the minimum!

"Staff travel concessions include nominating family/partners and friends as travel companions, and alongside receiving free flights, you nominated travel companions can fly all business class to any of our destinations, as often as they like, for an extremely discounted fare..."

So what's new. Most airlines offer this?

The main point is Silverjet work you to the legal limits, with Back to Back flights in their plenty which are very fatiguing and combined with poor management does not make it compare very favourably with other airlines.

V2BA

"I am really disappointed not to be able to join the company but simply cannot afford to at present. Having worked for an airline before I understand that you accept a lifestyle that requires you to be flexible, however, I also understand that MBTR, days off etc are vital to maintain a healthy work/life balance which is in the interests of both employer and employee."

The last line of your paragraph says it all, and if our company could only realise this then perhaps it would start to morph into a company that would lead the industry.:ugh: Sure we have to be competitive, but not at the expense of people's health and well-being.:mad:

DrPat,

Thanks for the post and you are most welcome.

"Sorry to butt-in but the 900 hours a year rule only applies to flight deck, not cabin crew :8 Also, I don't believe 6 days off a month is legal - think the minimum is 7 with an average over 3 months of 8 days off per month (ie - must have 24 days off in 3 months) :}"

AFAIK the rules apply to cabin crew in the same way as flight crew, albeit in a more diluted form, after asking one of our pilots, i.e. we can work slightly harder. As for days off, leave counts towards days off, so if you have a month with leave in it you can count on a very hard month to follow.

JAL-Stacey,

Good to hear from you.

"Because if that was the case, They conned me BIG TIME."

The con continues - believe me!!!

Hi Flygirl28,

"would love to see the roster where you are only getting 6 days off.....i doubt very much that that is the case."

Believe me it happens, as said earlier, it cannot continue long term (I hope), but I have had such a roster!

Befree,

Thanks for the post, i think:uhoh:

"In May 2006 they raised £25.3 million by an IPO at 112p/share
In April 2007 they raised £26million by issueing new shares at 180p/share.
At the end of september they had only £14million left and the accounts were quailfied with a comment from the accountants about them not being a going concern unless the raised more cash.
Yesterday the reported they were to raise £22 million by issueing new shares at 60p/share and a loan convertable to shares at the same 60p/share.
The planes are sold off to a leasing firm. Most of the cash has been burned running the airline at a massive loss. The future will only be bright if the crude oil price drops back a lot."

I saw this post in New York and started asking questions, unfortunately I think what you are saying is correct.:uhoh:

I have been told the following:

The company is losing £250,000 a week!
That some accountants have said that the company is not a going concern!
That we need to carry 80+ passengers on each flight to survive.
That the latest action to raise further money is a last ditch attempt.:{

I am not a financial whiz, however I can tell you that I am not seeing 80+ passengers on all my flights.

Befree, where did you find this information, and where can we find out more?

Brilliant, just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, now the company I work for is broke.:uhoh::eek::{

Better check the payslip this month, that's if I have the energy to do so!!



Time to put the CV into overdrive I think!!......

Happy flying, job hunting e.t.c.

Silver Boy. x

Silverjet - The Unsivilised Place to Work (going bust?)

[befree]

Silver Boy - all the details of the money raised and accounts are in the investors section on the silverjet website. The think that is killing the airline is the cost of fuel which must be around twice of what was expected when they did the buisness plan. You can lookup the cost of jet fuel at www.ft.com and is around $900/tonne. That may require $25k-$35 to cross the pond just in fuel costs.

The airline is totaly dependant on a large drop in fuel cost for it to it keep going.

Being broke is normal for an airline. An established airline can operate for decades while broke as long as it does not need to expand. To expand you need more cash which is when the books become vital.

[Inflight Service]

IFM's at Silverjet. You have all flown before. You are familiar with the industry. Most airlines pay an overnight allowance and grooming allowance except Silverjet. The company does pay for breakfast which is the cheapest meal of the day. An overnight allowance contributes towards the cost of 3 meals while away. If Silverjet pay for breakfast what then happened to lunch and dinner on a 30 hour layover in New York?

Grooming allowance...all airlines contribute towards the cost of looking good.

IFM's you are aware that other airlines have unions in place to ensure that days off, rest periods and pay conditions are protected. Has the idea of starting a union amongst youselves been raised? Leadership starts from the top.

Curious to know what makes you want to work for Silverjet?
...the question is not designed to be sarcastic but genuine.

[BestonBoard]

And familiarity breeds contempt... Maybe Our Onboard management team are more than aware of the effects a union can have... Take a look at the VS strike thread as an example...

As for allowances, alongside receiving breakfast, we are paid flight pay. The likes of other legace carriers receive sector pay only. Thus they have allowances down route. Having discussed it with some of the crew onboard, our flight pay for a typical EWR layover is more than what Virgin Atlantic receive in both sector pay and allowances combined...

And we get a free meal, plus discounts off food and drinks at our hotels! Not a bad deal really...

As for protection of rest periods, days off etc... Rest periods are mandatory... It is up to the indivdidual how they choose to rest. If they wish to spend all day shopping in Manhattan when they have a night sector home, that is their choice. The company are providing adequate facilities to gain rest down route...
As for Days off... Your informants seem to fail to inform you that they are sometimes 'requested' to work on a day off... they don't have to, there is always such a word as No...

Grooming allowances... Silverjet crew members, a quick phone call to your local tax office will confirm your allowances by adjustment of your tax code! If you weren't in the know, tell them you work for an airline... You may be pleasantly surprised!

Not Poo Pooing your idea IFS, but hopefully proving a point that with discussion, the involvement of a 3rd party should be a very last resort!

[Inflight Service]

A union should be the first point of call not the last. A union represents, protects and enforces your rights. A strike is only ever a LAST resort when management and crew fail to reach an agreement. The pay conditions at Virgin Atlantic have been questionable. So that is not a good comparison to Silverjet's conditions. Most hotels offer crew discounts regardless. So that is nothing new. Grooming allowance. Crew should not have to chase the tax man to recieve this. Get a union.

Thank-you for your insight.

[Silver Ryan Girl]

I saw your comments insulting Ryanair staff and felt compelled to respond.....

I used to work for Ryanair a while ago, and am fully aware of all the things within the company that need ammending, however Ryanair was a starting block in my career that has thrust me forward to rewarding opportunities. How dare you insult people like myself, if only I was as great a person as you JalStacey, then maybe I wouldnt have been stupid enough to work for a company that actually turned my life around.

Now a word of advice.....it is a very ugly person that looks down on people and feels superior due to things such as job status, background etc, and you dear are one of them. Dont ever forget that there will always be people in the world richer, bigger, and better than yourself.

Good luck in your career, with that attitude your going to need it.

[judder-100]

hello everyone now please stop slagging the company off...people who have left the company just remember it did'nt work for you ...now if people at silverjet needs a union they will get one....we are all a were of the do's and don'ts ....lets enjoy the ride...ok we have some people at silverjet who think they are above everyone else but you get that in any job...just let them get on with it ..because at the end of the day it's you with the smile on face and not them....:)

[Silver Boy]

Best on board,

Note you haven't replied to my last post, but I guess you are now busy fighting the pro-Union people instead of me.:rolleyes:

"As for Days off... Your informants seem to fail to inform you that they are sometimes 'requested' to work on a day off... they don't have to, there is always such a word as No..."


My roster is bad enough without that added complication. :mad:

I agree however that I can say no.

I do not agree with your use of 'Requested' - unless you count the same meaning as someone saying 'if you don't the flight will be cancelled'.:yuk:

"Not Poo Pooing your idea IFS, but hopefully proving a point that with discussion, the involvement of a 3rd party should be a very last resort!"

Perhaps we have got to that stage already with the management, as other people are now suggesting?



Judder-100,

Thanks for the post.

hello everyone now please stop slagging the company off...

o.k. I'll put my rose-tinted glasses on,:8 only be positive and ignore all the mistakes and problems in the company.

Come to think of it I might also stand to be elected to government in the Labour party!:rolleyes:


Yes let's get on with the job. But no - debate and truth is fundamental to change for the good.

Silverjet has the potential to be so much more, however it is held back by the very people at the top who are meant to be leading it. :ugh:


But the way the financial side is looking, this may all not matter shortly!



Befree,

Thank you for your post and information.

"An established airline can operate for decades while broke as long as it does not need to expand. To expand you need more cash which is when the books become vital."

Two problems here, we are not established and we are expanding.

After reading this, I thought I would read the information that you directed me to, and I drew the following conclusions from it:

Revenue last six months £30.6 million
Cost of provision of everything except ticket sales, marketing and all employees £30 million.

So the loss of £12 million is employees, marketing, ticket sales e.t.c.

So if we ran the airline without any employees or sales it would work - great!:ugh:

O.K. so far so good / bad?:confused:

The first thing that really worries me:

The revenue was broken down -

Scheduled £12.2 million - Charter £18.4 million. Does this mean that the revenue from Flyjet has actually been the big revenue contributor to date?

Sure with the Flyjet operation out of action the loss will be less but so will be the revenue, and pro-rata it appears that the loss could be greater.:eek:

Now here is what really worries me.

Everything hinges around carrying 80%+ loads.

Not difficult to work out on a 100 seat aircraft.;)

I for one am not seeing this!:uhoh:

Even in the report it states that the number of passengers, not load factor, has increased by 38%. This is due to the second aircraft. Surely this should be 100% with a second aircraft, or 200% now with 3, just to stand still?

I know it early days, but the potential for even greater losses is certainly there, and I am really concerned that without Flyjet the situation might be worse.:{

You highlight the price of fuel, and with that unlikely to decrease, and combined the airlines inability to gain sufficient credit to buy in advance, I can see why this is not going to go away.

I see the directors are putting in £1/2 million of their own cash, but at the rate the operation is burning money that cash alone would only last 2 weeks.

So my conclusion is that the next few months will be make or break for the company, and without the further cash injection that we are seeking the operation would collaspe. :eek:

Real pleased I haven't any shares in the company, that's if I could afford them!:rolleyes:

I ran all of my thoughts past an accountant friend of mine, and after seeing the report he drew that same conclusions. 'Befree' any comments?


I off to check whether my salary has been paid this month........:uhoh:


Happy Flying, job hunting, salary payment checking e.t.c.


Silver Boy. x

Silverjet - The Unsivilised Place to Work (going bust?)

[bagsybtmbunk]

Hi All
After reading the posts from Silverboy I would think very carefully about the move to Silverjet.
As we know at VS we get between $180 and $220 allowances for a nightstop NY depending on trip and with my £45 sector pay and take home of £1450 - £1500, their salary seems very attractive but do the maths.
I am also in the BA holding pool for EF LHR. Hold out for that.
x:)

[Inflight Service]

"Are you concerned over some of the practices going on in SilverJet? Do you wonder if some of your rights are being walked over? If so, you’re not alone. A number of your colleagues have already been in touch with us. Some are worried about the fact that many of you haven’t received a pay slip for months, some over rostering which they consider to appear arbitrary and unfair; others have been union members at previous airlines and just know what a difference for the better having the union can be. Cabin Crew at SilverJet have told us they want to join Unite and make a difference." Quote from:
http://www.amicustheunion.org/Default.aspx?page=6870

[bagsybtmbunk]

Oh my god
Siverjet buddies - so sound like you need a union.
Go straight to T&G - don't bother with Amicus. Look at the mess the VS lot are in right now. I'm no expert but have heard that Amicus is eventually merging with T&G anyway, a far stronger union which incidentally a good few VS crew are already in (out of personal choice). I have no faith in Brian Boyd and Amicus just now so it will be an intersting few months ahead. Dreaded by all involved. Anyway this is sounding like a VS union rant which it is sooo not but just get some sort of representation there and quick sticks!! All I want to say is you are a unique and small collection of I'm sure great guys and gals - just choose representation carefully. After all it is 3 weatherspoons prices double vodka and cokes out of your salary afterall every month!
Hope you have nothing but good times ahead peeps. xx

[VS-LHRCSA]

Absolutely, go for T&G.

You need a union, no doubt about it and they are, from my experience, better at getting things agreed by management. It sounds like rostering is one of your biggest problems. Tackle this and they may stop people leaving. A rigid set of terms and conditions will also stop you from being rostered back to back to backs and ensure you have adequate rest at home.

You also need to consider things that are personal to each individual, such as disciplinaries. You could be falsely accused of something by a passenger who doesn't get their way or another crew member who thinks promotion requires grassing up colleagues and you need someone to fight for you.

I have been down this road personally and was well supported, managing to keep my job and seniority. Other people in my situation were represented by other unions and didn't fare so well.

They will also protect your promotion opportunities, ensuring wherever possible that senior crews are recruited from within and not directly from outside. With the CAA's "one year rule" this may not always be possible but they will have to at least try to recruit from within.

[Mr Angry from Purley]

VS LHRCSA
The Rostering of back to backs is a interesting point. In the eyes of the CAA / CAP371 it's a complete no no. 18-30 hour rest periods, non acclimatised, day night day night ops possibly even now a mix of East - West ops with DXB now being flown. I'm sure you know the score more than I do.

The problem for the Company is it may have no choice, all it's trips seem to be 24 hr bullets. If you do a 3 day bullet do you really want 1 -2 days off before you go out again?. Why not roster back to backs then have 3-4 days off. There may be a social element to the practice of Rostering back to backs.
What about sby coverage, all these things need to be considered before a Union comes in. If its a no-no why has BA built a Hotel opposite the Compass Centre full of crew on back to backs, surely the CC Union would veto it?.

It's only been going for 6 months, I suspect a lot of crew were sitting around when the 2nd aircraft was decked, at least give it a chance :\

[VS-LHRCSA]

I am more than familiar with BA's back to backs having been crew for them. The difference is that:

1. They are limited to one per 28 days (unless called from standby)
2. Crew are given a hotel room (as you mentioned)
3. Crew are paid a payment
4. 3 MBTR days are awarded

I have never said they are a no-no. All I have said is that a union will help to agree acceptable terms between crew and the airline and make sure the airline sticks to them.

I can fully understand the need for back to backs. I do remember reading when Silverjet first started recruiting last year, that back to back trips would be the usual format.

I'm not trying to force BA ideals onto Silverjet but would recommend bringing in a union to do what's right for Silverjet's situation. If I was Silverjet's management, I would be encouraging it. That way everything is agreed and there won't be any confusion.

[arewehomeyet]

Well there's a surprise, when all is said and done it turns out Flyjet was the one holding up Silverjet, bit galling to all ex Flyjet staff who received less flight duty pay than SJ, and who also didn't receive trinkets like necklaces and pens along with their wings.

To all SJ employess - I do genuinely feel for you (however being ex Flyjet I can't help but draw comparisons with the situation you're in), however to the management of SJ I cannot help but smile - what goes around, comes around as you are finally starting to find out

[sunnygirl]

Well Said!!
I bet the managment are bricking themselves with the talk of having to recognise a union.
At one of the first meetings at LGW when SJ took over they went out of their way to discredit a union and told us that the union was only serving their own purpose and that they did not want a union at FJ.
The did everything they could to avoid union recognision at FJ and used the way our contracts were made out to pass the buck. It is nice to see now that they may have no choice. As said in the previous post what goes around comes around, it is only a matter of time.
As I have said in previous post I do feel sorry for the CC but managment have what is coming to them and it looks like it has already started. Crew seem very unhappy and leaving in great numbers and shares dropping like a stone. Wonder when the investors will say enough is enough and take what little money they have left after putting so much in!
Also interesting to find that SJ CC are posting here as at the meeting we were all threatened if we posted on here.:D

[sunnygirl]

Was just thinking if SJ do have to recognise a union and they end up striking they have someone who has had a lot of experience in post to deal with strikes as he was in BA when they were striking!!! ;) Say no more!!!

[spencer-owen]

Bring back the charter side of the airline.....you know it makes sense.

:):):)

:D:D:D

:ok::ok::ok:

[arewehomeyet]

Cos lets face it, it was the charter side that was making the profit to hold the schedule side up ;)

[spencer-owen]

Well Said you

[ba2silverjet]

Hey guys, i have recently applied to Silverjet and i have an interview with them next week.

I'm really worried about it after reading some of the comments.

Can Anyone provide any information on what the Interviews have been like recently. :bored:

[Tiger]

If your currently working for BA, however bad you see it Silverjet could be leaping from the frying pan into the fire.
Silverjet what I read here has the same "issues" and sounds just like another airline which flew from LTN about 10 years old..which isn't round now.
Personally Silverjet is chasing the wrong market. There are already 2 business class only airlines from STN plus the traditional airlines from LHR flying to New York. Dubai is well served by EK and BA etc..
I feel Silverjet would be doing some what better with 2 class cabin offering an enharnced economy service more room etc and an ecomony cabin poss on 757. Business class ex Luton?
People in the LTN catchment area would use such a service if priced correctly for holidays and business but Silverjet loose out on the short breaks due to there fares and so paxs use LHR or LGW and now AA STN service.
Silverjet looks the weaker carrier and especially with AA on the STN service, one of these carriers will loose out.

[BestonBoard]

Thanks for your comments Tiger.
Being LTN based means our customers do not have to go through the Hussle and Bussle of getting to and through LHR. The M25 at the moment can be a nightmare, I am sure you are aware. The express train from Kings Cross to Luton Parkway takes 25 minutes, with a Silverjet taxi waiting for you on arrival...
Our customers only have to arrive 30 minutes before departure if they have no luggage to check in, no standing in queues, private security... Please tell me which of the airlines you have mentioned offer such a service? Our aim is to eliminate the stress of travelling as much as possible... Have you the seen the results of the studies we performed at LHR... Some people border line heart attack before they have even got to their lounge seat. Not appealing.

With the utmost respect to all airlines out there, regarding our 2 competitors down in STN... A Customer once told a colleague of mine

"EOS and Maxjet may have a red carpet leading up to their check in desks, but Ryanair Passengers walk all over it..."

No disrespect to the very profitable Ryanair, but do you get my point? Silverjet Offer something no other airline does. If customers choose to fly AA, and receive AA service, that is their choice...

We pride ourselves on one key factor... We may be the 3rd all Business Class Carrier to have launched... But we are the 1ST BRITISH, British Manners, British Service... Very Sivilised...

Safe Fying to all of you out there, and may I be one of the first to you wish you a Merry Sivilised Christmas, and a Sensational New Year...

BoB

[Airbourne-Adamski]

Just found this on another part of PPrune,
Would what it could mean dor Silverjet, hpefully good news for you guys.

MAXjet shares suspended
07 Dec 2007
AIM-listed business-only carrier MAXjet 'has today [Friday] requested that the trading of its common stock be suspended with immediate effect pending clarification of its financial position'.

[Tiger]

I respect your comments and think is great that you respect the airline, and a few passenger comments are good and encouraging. I was brought up in St Albans and live west of Luton. I know the area. I also worked for British Rail before becoming crew so fairly knowable on ground access. I am LHR based.

All the good things said still doesn`t stop an airline going into demise if its business plans are wrong. You bring up Ryan Air. I agree I don`t think they treat their passengers well, and the crew are treated even worse, however Ryan Air`s bottom line is amazing.
I think that Silverjet would be better offering a 2 class cabin I`ll give you Business Class if you like, but an economy section would give the company quick cash when times get tough. You`d get paxs of North London , Herts Beds and Buck thinking of "popping" over to NY for weekend etc, however the fares put Mr Mrs Joe Average off and use BA VS AA UA etc where fares can be low as £250 approx..
Zoom`s Gatwick New York would be the model to use at Luton.

If Zoom did start that route, think Silverjet would find it very hard to compete.

American`s STN service will also have connections across the US as well.

[befree]

MAxjet can keep flying as long as people are happy to deal with them.
If people think it is the end then they will stop booking or supplying to them.

The stock market still thougth they were worth £50m when the shares were suspended.

If this does not upset Silverjet current fundraising then they will have 6-9 months more cash to burn. The problems start if the sale-and -leaseback is undermined by a lack of confidance.

If you need a safe job it is worth avoiding the start-ups like Maxjet and Silverjet. it is different if you are young without a large house to pay for.

[galanjal]

obviously lots of research was done before silverjet was launched and if it wasn't a viable business model then they wouldn't have had the huge investment to start up. the idea is fantastic but who exactly are they aiming their product at? it cant be the business market, not enough frequencies. nor can it be most holiday makers, again limited routes and higher prices in this economic climate. so who does fly with silverjet?

[befree]

Silverjet was planned a few years ago when fuel was cheap and growth in passengers was rapid. They will have projected that they can make it work with planes 65% full.

Since then the fuel has doubled, planes have failed C checks and ADP has doubled. the planes were 55% full last month even after they have spent a fortune on PR.

[llanfairpg]

Just some tips for some of you that are going for interview at SJ or any airline, based on my experience of airlines and running a customer service training company.

The most important aspect for anyone who wants to be sucessful in any customer service position is to have the ability to be servile. Put simply if you are not a yes sir, no sir, three bags full, person you are not really suitable.

Some people, who are in the minority, are capable of modifying their behaviour to fit in with the above but a large majority are just not suitable for this type of work, you cannot train adults in basic courtesy and servility, it is something your parents should have done a long time ago.

If on reading the above you find yourself aggrieved or annoyed this is further proof you are just not suitable.

I used to use several classic examples in training, this is one of them.

A senior airline executive and his wife and children were travelling abroad on one of the company’s flights. The manager used the staff car park to park his car and gathered his family at the nearby bus stop to wait for the staff bus. They were very soon joined by a company cabin crew member who did not know the manager.

The manager tried to make conversation with the cabin crew member, who was due to be on the same flight as the manager but every pleasantry was met with single word answers and very obvious disinterest to the point that the whole family later commented upon it.

The bus arrived and everyone got aboard. The cabin crew member got on and went to sit by another company cabin crew member. She had never met this girl before and introduced herself and struck up an immediate conversation which lasted non-stop till the bus reached the terminal.

If you cannot understand the lesson of the above you should also question your suitability for customer service work.

To better understand the above and customer service consider that you will meet and make many friends when flying but very few of them will put bread on your table.

However do not worry about not being suitable as most companies have a large percentage of these people working for them but if you want to be successful at interview try and understand and learn about the art of customer service. Not only will it improve your job opportunities it will improve your personal relationships and social life too!

[Virginia]

servile

of or pertaining to a slave (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/slave)
submissive (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/submissive) or slavish (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/slavish):rolleyes:

Er...as an experienced flight attendant myself I provide good customer service without thinking I'm in a menial position. As cabin crew we are mainly onboard for safety anyway. If people want submissive young girls serving them maybe they should fly a Far Eastern carrier.

I don't expect the cashier in Tesco to be like a slave to me nor do I act like this onboard. You can be pefectly pleasant by being polite and friendly without having to kowtow!

[Airbourne-Adamski]

The most important aspect for anyone who wants to be sucessful in any customer service position is to have the ability to be servile. Put simply if you are not a yes sir, no sir, three bags full, person you are not really suitable.

Some people, who are in the minority, are capable of modifying their behaviour to fit in with the above but a large majority are just not suitable for this type of work, you cannot train adults in basic courtesy and servility, it is something your parents should have done a long time ago.

Hang on a minute, you kidding me.

No offence but I have been in customer service for 10 years, and not once has anyone during any training told me to be yes sir, no sir 3 bags full, like some servent in the victorian ages.

I and crew I work with provide the best customer service possible, to help achive this is 'Adapting to different pax, and their needs'.
Yes it is good customer service to be polite, assist the pax with relevent requests and be there for them.
But at the same time it is important for pax to respect your position as a crew member and your primary role SAFETY.

[Silver Boy]

Hello Befree,

Thanks for the post and updates.

"If you need a safe job it is worth avoiding the start-ups like Maxjet and Silverjet. it is different if you are young without a large house to pay for."

Looking at the financial side of Silverjet I have to agree, but would also add that because the management are so desperate to make this work they will do anything, including running the company very poorly with regards to staff relations, and dishing out spin at every opportunity.:yuk:

'Apparently' we have an unlimited source of funding!:rolleyes:

Strange that, they were saying the same at Maxjet.:uhoh:

I hope that the R.Bros. have deep pockets and a lot of sense, otherwise this is going to be one big mess. I really hope I am proved wrong!



"Silverjet was planned a few years ago when fuel was cheap and growth in passengers was rapid. They will have projected that they can make it work with planes 65% full.

Since then the fuel has doubled, planes have failed C checks and ADP has doubled. the planes were 55% full last month even after they have spent a fortune on PR."

Interesting comments Befree.

Various figures have been quoted to us, although the figure of 80% full is normally used.

I have just worked out the average percentage carried out on all my flights over the last 2 month. Wait for it -


It's a staggering 39%. :eek:


So unless something drastic happens soon, or as 'Beston Board' seems to suggest he/she is the only person working really hard and carrying all the passengers,:yuk: the company is not in good shape.:uhoh:

What really worries me is without the cash coming from the charter side (Flyjet), where is all the revenue going to come from?

We will barely have enough to switch on the lights in the buildings and the planes, and will be carrying people at a huge loss. This should be the big month for New-York, but I for one am certainly not seeing it in terms of passenger numbers.:uhoh:

With the price or fuel not likely to drop, and the airlines inability to gain credit, it all looks like another Maxjet disaster.:sad:



Airbourne-Adamski,

Thanks for the post.

"Hang on a minute, you kidding me.

No offence but I have been in customer service for 10 years, and not once has anyone during any training told me to be yes sir, no sir 3 bags full, like some servent in the victorian ages."

Perhaps "llanfairpg" has some merit in his post.;)

It sounds very much like working for Silverjet!

Yes Sir / No Sir to management - Yup.

3 bags full - Yup.

Some servant in the Victorian ages - Silverjet definitely.:yuk:

Come to think of it, the Silverjet management would have been brilliant at running a work house in the Victorian ages, only problem is they haven't worked out yet that people can actually leave these days, and boy oh boy they have been and continue to do so.:{



Well I am off to put my CV into overdrive, sleep, write Crimbo cards, avoid my Silverjet slave masters e.t.c...


Wishing everyone regardless of their views a Merry Christmas.:)


Silver Boy. x

Silverjet - "The modern day Victorian work house - Unsilivised"

[Airbourne-Adamski]

No disrspect to you guys at SJ,

But of my crew was chatting (Galley FM as usual) and saying her friend left us at easy for SJ and is now desperate to leave SJ due to poor wages, bad management, no care for staff, not much work and generally not a good place to work (apart from her crew colleges).

I am so suprised things have got like this for you guys (if its all true)
I hope all turns out well for you guys one way or another.

[Silver Boy]

Airbourne-Adamski,

Thanks for the post.

"But of my crew was chatting (Galley FM as usual) and saying her friend left us at easy for SJ and is now desperate to leave SJ due to poor wages, bad management, no care for staff, not much work and generally not a good place to work (apart from her crew colleges)."


Unfortunately you don't surprise me - although 'not much work' is different to the norm. Most crew are exhausted with back to back flights to New York and Dubai.

The big problem with Silverjet, as you have hit on the head, is bad management and no care for staff. It deteriorates on a daily basis, and as long as the people at the top remain, things will never improve for us or the health of the company.:mad:

Most of them are running from other companies and are desperate to control things by brute force rather than respect and intelligence.:ugh:


Your friend is not in a minority. We have had several people join at levels including IFM, go through the months of training and investment, and then leave shortly afterwards. Some of them have been excellent people to work with.:{


We have recently even had one SC leave within a week of going on line!!!!!!!


Guess what the company just shrugs it off as if there are plenty more out there. Not believing in the brand, wrong beliefs e.t.c.......:yuk: When will they get real?:mad:


Sad thing is your friend had something to judge Silverjet by, and therefore an idea of how an airline, or for that matter any company should be run.

If they could, I am sure they would crew our planes totally with people without aviation experience. Great on paper, no complaints, just God help them when there is an incident that would quickly become an accident without people with experience.

Thankfully the CAA stops us doing this totally.:D


Unless things change dramatically, and by that I mean, management, price of oil and passenger numbers, Silverjet looks like another Maxjet!:(


I sincerely hope that someone in management is reading this, and I'd be kidding myself if they weren't, and for the first time steps back and smells the coffee. I'll probably just get another threat from them.:mad:


The recipe is there for the company, but just like the Titannic so are the ice-bergs which are getting perilously close!!!:eek:


Well I am off to put my CV into turbo-boost, take out life insurance, avoid my Silverjet slave masters e.t.c...


Wishing everyone regardless of their views a Happy New Year.:)


Silver Boy. x


Silverjet - "The modern day Victorian work house - Unsilivised"

[befree]

Another 10% has been chopped off the shareprice today. With the shares how 75% off their peak it is going to be very hard for them to ever raise any more cash. It seems to be following the exact same path as Maxjet but 9 months later. When you start a new route it will lose money until it gets established. Even then it will lose money if you cannot get the loadfactor up past breakeven point. We will know in a few days how bad the December load factors were. It is very possible that the Newark route is still a long way from break even. Come March the cost base will rise with two more planes. It was just past that point that maxjet failed.

[stormin norman]

share price now 48p and decending !

[Priceless1]

After reading what you's have to say about Silverjet i'm thinking twice about attending one of there assessment days. Is it worth my time going do you think?

[LD12986]

Priceless1 - Regardless of the merits of Silverjet as a concept, airline or employer the next 12 months or so are going to quite tough for all airlines, with increased competition due to Open Skies, companies and consumers tightening their belts, banks being much more reluctant to lend money etc.

The established carriers are much better placed to ride this out and now is not the time to join a loss making start-up - as I say - regardless of whether it is any good or not.

[BestonBoard]

Hopefully to add some balance to the scale for those who are considering joining us...

To quote our CEO,

“We are delighted to announce another record month of passenger statistics representing an increase of 10.5% since November and 77% since August. Forward bookings remain strong for both our New York and Dubai services and yields remain ahead of expectations. The feedback from our customers and media in respect of Silverjet’s Dubai service has been fantastic and we remain very confident about this new route.
“During the month we booked a significant number of MAXjet passengers on our New York service as a result of our successful promotion to honour the MAXjet ticket price for a limited number of seats, following MAXjet’s filing for bankruptcy. Silverjet is in a very strong position, not only with our superior service in terms of our 30 minute check in, flat bed and private jet experience, but also our financial position having just raised a further £22m of investment to fund our growth. Before MAXjet ceased to operate, our average yield was over 50% higher than MAXjet’s and our revenue per aircraft was two and a half times higher than MAXjet’s in our first half year of operation, as well as our fuel cost per sector being 23% lower.
“In addition to seeing an increasing number of enquiries from corporate customers, we continue to see a very encouraging rise in the number of repeat customers. I am delighted to report that over 20% of our customers who are booking have flown with Silverjet at least once before.
“With the well publicised possibilities of strike action in the coming weeks at BAA operated airports and with one of our competitors, we are also seeing a strong increase in bookings from corporate customers who are normally restricted from flying only with specific airlines. In addition, our Silverjet Set company loyalty scheme introduced in November has seen over 700 registrations since launch and is proving hugely popular with Silverjet’s business travellers."

A Happy New Year to everyone out there... I hope it is a prosperous one for you...

BoB

[befree]

It is remarkable how that can make poor traffic numbers sound good.
They are very careful of what they compare.

increase of 10.5% since November is when they added 15.5% more seats.
77% since August is when they went from 1 plane to 3, capacity up 169%.

The planes are only 52.8% full when they would need maybe 80% full to cope with the high fuel costs.

The rest of the stats are rubish as well. 23% higher sector fuel for maxjet is due to them going to the west coast. The revenue per aircraft is carefully using the first 6 months when Silverjet had only one plane.

The £22m will mostly be burned in operating costs. The planes are all on lease so they own very little in the way of assets.

[BestonBoard]

Thank you Befree, your aptitude for figures and monetary based facts is well above par. You deserve a great amount of credit for your abilities.
I would ask that we do not forget the human factor involved in any airline though. My heart goes out to all the crew and staff at MAXjet... Being advised on Christmas Eve that you are going to be out of a job is not a very welcome Christmas Present in my eyes...
As we are now one of the two remaining specialised carriers that are operating at the moment, the pressure is on for us to perform to our highest abilities.
The demise of MAXjet will of course have a knock on effect in regards to peoples efficacy of 'all business class' carriers. Silverjet have to prove that we can still offer an excellent service at an affordable price (compared to what you would have to pay for the legacy carriers)...
As part of the inaugral crew, Silverjet is not just a job for me... Alongside many of my colleagues, we helped write the service standards, have been involved with management directly on improving the airlines offerings and have seen Silverjet grow from 30+ cabin crew to over 200 now. (In the space of a year this is quite an expansion, I'm sure you will agree...)

Whilst I fully respect your input and factual based calculations, please spare a thought for the emotional aspects that are involved. Disparaging remarks already made by crew members (and former crew members) on this site are read by many crew within the company, can we not spare a thought for them?

We do have many outstanding features to our product that even the likes of EOS do not match. Private lounges and a 30 minute check in are proving to be a real winner. Our Inflight service is run by some of the most amazing crew I have ever had the pleasure of working with. My colleagues really are an asset and true credit to themselves. With the minimal exception, the crew on board blow me away every flight with their abilities...

Like any business risks are involved, if you look at some of the established airlines, they are struggling to make the grade at the minute. We will have to keep an eye on the horizon and see how business pans out... I can assure you though, I for one will be giving my all to see that Silverjet goes from strength to strength... All I can do is try...

Thanks

BoB

[atmosphere]

Befree, you pointed out the financial mismanagement that your CEO seems to be spinning, and making a mountain, look like a mole hill is good work.

However, BoB, you seem like a very loyal crewmember for which I'm sure Silverjet are very grateful. from what I hear... they need them! However your comment below is scary..
Whilst I fully respect your input and factual based calculations, please spare a thought for the emotional aspects that are involved. Disparaging remarks already made by crew members (and former crew members) on this site are read by many crew within the company, can we not spare a thought for them?


Silverjets number spinning and sprinkling fairy dust on the financial books to make things look rosey will not bode well for your suppliers, and customers. Befree pointed out that the figures are indeed incorrect, and that shouldn't be forgotten, just to spare some emotional grief.

Silverjet needs to wake up, and make changes to there ineffiecient aircraft, which seem probed with technical issues!

Silverjet WILL go bust and pretending to the financial markets that they are doing very well, sending out "facts" (and I use the term loosely) like below!

“We are delighted to announce another record month of passenger statistics representing an increase of 10.5% since November and 77% since August. Forward bookings remain strong for both our New York and Dubai services and yields remain ahead of expectations. The feedback from our customers and media in respect of Silverjet’s Dubai service has been fantastic and we remain very confident about this new route.
“During the month we booked a significant number of MAXjet passengers on our New York service as a result of our successful promotion to honour the MAXjet ticket price for a limited number of seats, following MAXjet’s filing for bankruptcy. Silverjet is in a very strong position, not only with our superior service in terms of our 30 minute check in, flat bed and private jet experience, but also our financial position having just raised a further £22m of investment to fund our growth. Before MAXjet ceased to operate, our average yield was over 50% higher than MAXjet’s and our revenue per aircraft was two and a half times higher than MAXjet’s in our first half year of operation, as well as our fuel cost per sector being 23% lower.
“In addition to seeing an increasing number of enquiries from corporate customers, we continue to see a very encouraging rise in the number of repeat customers. I am delighted to report that over 20% of our customers who are booking have flown with Silverjet at least once before.
“With the well publicised possibilities of strike action in the coming weeks at BAA operated airports and with one of our competitors, we are also seeing a strong increase in bookings from corporate customers who are normally restricted from flying only with specific airlines. In addition, our Silverjet Set company loyalty scheme introduced in November has seen over 700 registrations since launch and is proving hugely popular with Silverjet’s business travellers."


Suppliers, Crew, Investors, and Customers, will only be fooled for so long!

Sphere

[befree]

I hate spin and playing with numbers to make dreadful numbers look good. I understand that to get funding the CEO has to come as close to being dishonest as he can without actualy telling a lie. The airline has expanded too quickly. It should be getting the first service profitable before moving on. At the end of working with one plane it managed 80% load factor. Adding extra planes too fast means every sector is making a loss. The oil price is very high so the airline should be waiting to expand to when or if the conditions get better. I do feel sorry for the staff who have joined an airline that has started at just the wrong time.

[747-436]

The rest of the stats are rubish as well. 23% higher sector fuel for maxjet is due to them going to the west coast.

While there is a bit of spin in that sentence it is also true as Silverjet did indeed have lower fuel per sector as they flew shorter routes!

What they really need to compare would be fuel cost per 1000 miles flown or something like that, that would show a like for like comparison.

[atmosphere]

What are the crew attritian rates like!?

[missydk]

I was just wondering how long it usually takes before you hear anything back after having sent an application??

Thanks

[LAX20531]

What they really need to compare would be fuel cost per 1000 miles flown or something like that, that would show a like for like comparison.

Remember, Maxjet was never qualified for 120 minute or greater ETOPS, meaning their flights were all operated under the 60 minute rule. This could have caused them to spend significantly more on fuel. I agree that a comparison needs to be made on cost per pound or 1000 miles or some other method.

Does Silverjet have 120 min ETOPS or are they operating under the same rule that MY was?

[Ops! I did it again]

Silverjet has 180 minutes ETOPS. we plan our flights using 138mins

Massive fuel savings compared to less than 120mins :ok:

Im a Silverjet Pilot... Sorry for intruding into your forum. I just thought Id answer the etops question for ya!

PS. I'll just add that we have the nicest bunch of Cabin crew ya could ever ask for! A pleasure to work with you all. :D

[LAX20531]

Silverjet has 180 minutes ETOPS

Thanks. Well that solves our fuel issue. Regardless of what the comparison was between Y7 and MY, MY clearly spent significantly more on fuel due to not being certified for ETOPS. It's unlikely they would have been certified anytime soon either given the massive number of mechanicals, diversions, and tech issues. The white ghost seemed to be grounded more than it was in the air, plus the announced idea of using one of the 762's as a "spare" is clearly not a financially responsible use of assets.

Even given all this, I still think it's possible that Y7 is only trailing MY in time. Time will tell.

[Ops! I did it again]

I will respectfully disagree with you on that!

I think we will do just fine.

I will now leave the Cabin crew forum and crawl back into the flightdeck!!!

ops I did it again! x

[chezdubai]

Hi, I was reading your post- great info, but im in abit ov a dilema. I am working for Emirates Airline based in dubai. do bout 5-6 flights a month with alot ov time off really, pay is ok, around £1200- £1300 a month transport to and from wrk and lovely company accom for free. I have an interview for Silverjet as I a wanting to return home. but my home in UK is in Cheshire, maybe I will have to move to nearer if I got job. I would really apprieciate if you could tell how much you get a month. also do crew comute and how long are your layovers? oh and is it true you have to find own accom while training.
reading some ov the threads im not sure my making a good decision, even flying back for the interview.

:rolleyes:

[chezdubai]

I have to say after sitting here for hours reading all coments on Silverjet I have made my mind up not to go for the interview which is end of month. I realise that like most airlines and jobs have there problems. I am pleased I have read all comments and find this info very helpful, as I may have been making a big mistake. I am working for Emirates airline and think I may continue to stay as the perks are great, and the trips are ok too.:)

[llanfairpg]

Be very careful with SJ

A friend had a pilots interview with them recently and although they were supposed to let him know before Christmas they have only in the last few days told him of the oucome despite numerous phone calls and emails.

[HZ123]

Sounds just like BA then. It seems that the aviation industry has much to learn.

[flygirl28]

Chezdubai - of course you are entitled to your decision, but the negative comments on this forum are posted by a minority. Bare in mind that SJ has grown in numbers and despite the two people who post to the contrary, the majority of crew are extremely happy.
I too used to work for Emirates and can say with all honesty that the move for myself was a good one. Feel free to PM me if you have any concerns or anything you would like clarifying.

With regards to the waiting time on interviews, SJ are no different to any other carrier, BA, Emirates etc, you cannot take this as an indication of what a company are like to work for.

Safe flying to all.;)

[Mr Angry from Purley]

llanfairpg

It's very simple, they offered Job to another Pilot he said no for whatever reason. They then offer to your Pilot friend :\

[BestonBoard]

Many thanks for all of your contributions. As I am sure many are aware, the initial new year period is a very busy time. Not just for Silverjet, but also for individuals. Could it be a possibility that our recruitment team were awaiting responses from a number of individuals before they made their announcement about successful candidates? Just a speculation...

I hope everybody is having a successful New Year so far, may it be a prosperous one for all...

Regards

Bob

[llanfairpg]

It's very simple, they offered Job to another Pilot he said no for whatever reason. They then offer to your Pilot friend :\With simplicity such as that I can see why you are angry and in Purley.

I would add that the pilot that went in in front of my colleague for the interview was advised (selected) a couple of days later which says little for their interview techniques and selection procedures. I would advise they take up references very carefully!

[speedbird-lgw]

hey got an interview with silverjet,
been reding the posts on here
but can it really be that bad ??

[BestonBoard]

Hi there,

Unfortunately the majority of the posts on here do seem very one sided. To be honest, a lot of our crew do not post on here, and do not even look at the site...

From my perspective, I have been with Silverjet since the very beginning, and I am very happy. As a start up airline things needed a little time to sort out teething issues. We have more and more crew coming on line now, so any issues with rostering etc will be rectified very shortly.
I love my job, and will always be a devoted advocate for us...

Come for your interview, and make your own mind up! Thats the best piece of advice I can give...

Good luck if you decide to go for it...

BoB

[missydk]

I applied for a cabin crew position with silverjet in mid december. I haven't heard anything and I was wondering if I will get a rejection email if im not selected? basically whether I can expect to hear from them or now.

Cheers

[SFBdolly]

Me thinks that the next new route for SJ will be west cost USA... SFO/LAX...

[hotelhopper]

Hi,

Please could someone who is currently working for Silverjet let me know the following.

Generally....

1) What is the minimum amount of time you get off downroute?
2) What is the minimum amount of time you get off on a b2b when back?
3) On average what would a main crew member take home (I am aware it vaires, but on average)?
4) What is the standby call out time?
5) Do people commute by public transport from far away? How possible is this?

Thanks and safe travels

:)

[vainbone]

well things aint looking all that good for the jet having 2 major inversors pull out and them cancelling there 4th and 5th aircraft hmmmmmm i feel a maxjet coming on

[8che]

Firstly, the next two aircraft have not been cancelled they arrive as planned in March/April !!!!!!

Secondly, investors have not pulled out. With the current low share price an investor decided to not convert a loan into equity !

[vainbone]

I,ll get back to ya in march/april see what happens

[BestonBoard]

In response to your queries...

1. Our minimum time down route is at least 24 hours...
2. Minimum time between a back to back is 26 hours
3. Average salaries are very dependant on duties, if you check previous
posts on FDP, and do the calculations you can roughly work out how
much you would earn per trip... Multiply that by the average 5.5 trips
per month, and add it to your basic salary...
4. SBY call out time is 90 minutes
5. We have crew commute from the Algarve, Eastern Europe and Northern
England... Anything is possible.

Hey Vainbone. Long time no speak! Galley FM rears it's ugly head again and people are believing everything they read in the papers. If you can bide time until March/April, I hope (in the nicest sentiment) that the slander launched by the press is proven wrong! I hope all things are well with you!

[SAM 2M]

Shame on you Vainbone. Investors have not pulled out. You need to (nay Must) be much more precise and careful when commenting on these important matters.

Here are the facts:-

Quote "Silverjet today announces that TFB will not be converting its £10 million
convertible loan into new Silverjet ordinary shares at 60 pence per share.


As a result, TFB forgoes its conversion rights whilst Silverjet still benefits
from the £10 million loan on highly attractive terms of LIBOR plus 200bps until
it is repayable on 17 December 2009.

TFB said:

"Because of recent market conditions, we have decided not to exercise our right
to convert our loan to Silverjet into equity. Instead we will continue to work
with the company and monitor its performance going forward. We continue to
believe the company has a sound business model and excellent prospects for the
future to become a major player in the global aviation business."



NB: 'Right to convert'!

SJ Share price largely a function of present Stock Market conditions.

SJ will be fine. Wait and see. You have to take the big picture into account.
Well said 8ache.

[206cc_jim]

I hope SJ does get its 4/5th aircraft but working for the originating company I have heard the opposite, that Thomsonfly will now be keeping their 762's

[8che]

Where are you getting this rubbish from ?

The two aircraft are signed for and will be arriving in 1 and 1/2 months time. Trust me I know !!!!!!!

[Eddy]

Bob gave some AMAZING advice earlier that seems to have been overlooked.

GO TO THE INTERVIEW. If you're lucky enough to get one, take it. Go along and see what the company is all about. I work for BA at the moment and, to be honest, would be mad to leave what I currently enjoy for anything less than FSM/CSD/Whatever at Silverjet and that's why I don't work with the company.

I went for an interview back in Feb of 07 and was offered the job of Service Coordinator. It was a fairly difficult decision to make when I chose to turn the offer down, but if I hadn't been with BA, I wouldn't have thought twice.

The airline is run by a management team with passion for the company and a passion for service. The product offered onboard is amazing - the service offered on the ground is spectacular.

I fitted in with all of SJ's requirements for the Number One grade on their flights but they didn't even acknowledge that when I went for the interview. That annoyed me a little. The assumed I was applying for Main Crew and that was what put me off a bit.

Nevertheless, to make a decision based solely on what you read here would be shortsighted.

Get both sides of the argument for/against accepting a position with this company.

DO bear in mind, though, that with EOS' announcement that they will begin flying to DXB in direct competition with Silverjet, I fear Silverjet is facing some fairly difficult times ahead.

[206cc_jim]

ah thank you for those wise words 8che

Only what i've been told from "up high"
I did make it quite clear it was only what I had heard I do hope Tfly get rid of those vile flying sheds however I do not appreciate being shot down and told I am talking rubbish.

No go away and play nicely with your toys.

[DUAL RATED]

I hear they are calling crew downroute in the middle of the night and off loading crew downroute to cover flights the following day, sounds a nightmare, anyone know can they force you to do that legally? just curious

[Mr Angry from Purley]

dual - sounds a bit extreme but yes this is legal providing proper notice is given:\

[legoland]

Legal as long as a rest period is not disturbed as this would mean the rest period will start again from when they took the call, for instance if you are on 12 hours rest and crewing contact you during this period then your 12 hours start again from the time of the call.

In addition if your down route on rest and they call you to operate a later flight, and your due a day off you can refuse as 7 days notice is the norm for a day off change, they can not force you to give up a day off.

[747-436]

In addition if your down route on rest and they call you to operate a later flight, and your due a day off you can refuse as 7 days notice is the norm for a day off change, they can not force you to give up a day off.


Between airlines really depends whats in the contract. Some airlines might have something like that in the contract. For instance like force draft for BA pilots where they have to give up a day off.

[VS-LHRCSA]

Yeah, it really does depend on the airline and the contract. As long as it does not contradict CAA minimum requirements then it is legal. I once flew for an airline that would not let you leave the hotel before 1000 local time down-route in case of a change. This same airline would also count two of your clear days down-route (we used to have 6 in POP and CUN) as days off towards your 8-in-a-month allocation.

In this case with Silverjet, from an outsiders standpoint, as long as minimum rest is achieved after the phone call, then you would be obliged to operate the change - unless your agreement specifically states otherwise.

[DUAL RATED]

I heard the next day would have been standby and undisturbed rest prior to change was disturbed. makes you wonder what they would have done if there was another problem and the change couldnt be actioned, just curious thanks for the answers.

Wish we had these rules in the Private Bizjet world, sometimes phone never stops ringing during rest with changes to flight etc.

[VS-LHRCSA]

Just wondering if some Silverjet crew can help me. I'm doing an assignment for uni and I have a few questions regarding the service and crew compliment.

I guess there is one inflight manager for each flight. Is this a serving position, or is it galley based? What do they actually do?

How many service co-ordinators are there?

How many cabin crew are there?

I realise there are no trollies but is it still a four corner service from the forward and rear galleys?

Sorry for all the questions but any insight would be big help. Cheers!

[judder-100]

One year and 6 mths flying then incharge of the aircraft !! Can this be true ?? One of my friends has just told me.

[flygirl28]

The legal requirement to be 'incharge' of an aircraft is a years flying experience.
In my opinion (and it is only my opinion) an individual is promoted on merit and ability to be able to perform to the required standard in that particular role.
I have flown with thousands over a long career in the industry. Yes, i have come across people who were nowhere near ready to step into a role with that kind of responsibility in such a short period of time. Equally, i have flown with people who have displayed ALL the skills necessary and more. The role of CSD is not just about flying experience, but the ability to manage effectively, evaluate situations and make decisions, lead a team and be a role model.....some of these qualities are obtained through life experience and not just flying.
At least give the person concerned the chance to prove themselves as effective prior to shooting the decision to promote them down in flames. Your 'friend' might just be suprised at their ability and if their not, there are always the correct channels to go through to voice your concerns.

Safe flying to all

[flightlevelchange]

Excellent as always Flygirl, your quite correct, have flown with a few old timers who should never be in the job and some new ones who are fantastic,

safe flying

FLC

[Airhostessdream]

Hello everyone:)
I hope someone would be kind enough to help me with Silverjet's recuritment. I have an assesment day next month and I really want
to get this job:eek:, all I can do is perform my best. Despite reading
negative comments I can only gain my own experience.
I am aware of what the day is like but does anyone know what type
of group exercise there is and If there are tests involved, and what they look for, is their a particular look?
I have been on two airline interviews this month and the group exercises
and tests failed me.. I am not good at building towers out of paper. I am
much better at discussion and customer service.
So If anyone could give me some basic advice that would be very appreciated. Silverjet is my last hope..xx:{

[flygirl28]

PM me and i will help as much as i can

[spartan7]

Hi guys,

I feel that you are too stressed about the interview...
My advice is BE COOL!!!Dont worry, go there with confidence!!
Like going to a big party!!!Dont ask for advices!!!Everything is luck...
Dont believe that you will go to something very importand...They need
you , you dont need theme!!!There are lot of companies out there and
someone its the one for you!!!Just be your self...Dont go there and feel
like you are going to the gallows poll...Ii is nothing more than a job...after
few months of work you will reallize that its not a big deal....EVERYONE
CAN DO THIS JOB!!!EVERYONE!!I have lot of examples in my current airline..
I also have an interview with silverjet at 11 of March...I will travel from Greece..I thing that I will have fun!!If you want lets go together to a good club in London because i will travel there for first time and i have heard VERY
GOOD things for london club life!!!Who knows...maeby we'll make all together a new airline..PARTYANIMALS AIR!!!With DJ'S,lot of alcohol and dark room for VIP's!!!!!DONT WORRY ABOUT A THING...CAUSE EVERY LITLE THING IS GONNA BE ALLRIGHT!!!------747POWER----

[flygirl28]

Its hard not to agree with, some of your sentiments regarding the interview i.e "dont get too stressed", "go there with confidence" and "you dont need them, they need you".

Where i would disagree is in your comment that "anyone can do the job". I don't believe that just ANYONE can. While the majority of cabin crew would agree that day to day tasks do not require a huge amount of 'brain power', it takes a special kind of someone to look at customers as individuals rather than bums on seats. We also know that in the event of experiencing a emergency the ability to work as a team, manage situations as they unfold and put others safety before your own is paramount. Thats why airlines dont just pick ANYONE to do the job.

Go to the interview, yes have fun, yes use it as a great way to meet new people and make new friends. My real advice would be dont forget the real reason that you are there, to work for a company that breathes customer service, individuality and professionalism. If you remember that then you wont go too far wrong.

Good luck and safe flying

[Iconic]

Spartan my dear, you are so not SilverJet material!

Far from it we do want people that care, people who take a genuine interest in the customers they are looking after for the duration of the flight, people that have a personal sense of pride in the product that they are delivering. Not individuals who's main priority is to get jiggy in a darkened VIP bar of some seedy club.

The crew I work with at Silverjet are among the best in the industry and I have been flying a fair few number of years now.

They have been very carefully selected to ensure they possess the right qualities to fit into the Silverjet business model.

You Spartan, would be like a round peg fitting into a square hole!

Enough said :E

[flygirl28]

Iconic - think you may have been a little less diplomatic than me!!!! LOL !!!!!I]

[5711N0205W]

Please forgive my intrusion into this area of Pprune, I must say I'm looking forward to experiencing your product to DXB in about 10 days, I hope it all works as well as it sounds like it should. :)

Normally for long haul I would pass through LHR, AMS or CDG all of which have their own particular brand of pax unfriendliness irrespective of ticket type, AMS is probably the best of the three airport wise but least favourite carrier wise, will be interesting to see the SilverJet terminal at LTN, all sounds nice.

Keep up the good work and hope the model is sustainable, friends of mine in DXB are interested in you as an alternative to EK, BA etc, so there is penetration into their conciousness just unfamiliarity with the offering, I'm sure that will come in time. :D

[spartan7]

:D bravo bravo bravo iconic...good boy !!!!you won your friskies for today!!;)

[Airkarla]

Hi!
How're thing? I'm wondrering if anybody knows something about the silverjet's roster. How many off days a cabin crew can enjoy per month and if the off days are consecutive.
I have been invited to the interviews three times but I live in Barcelona and couldn't go.
Waiting for answers. Great greeting and thanks.
Carla

[Iconic]

Spartan, your clearly no the full ticket :hmm:

[Pandora's Box]

Hahaha spartan...how funny :D

Actually Iconic, from what i've heard about some of the cabin crew...spartan so IS Silverjet material :p

[QuerTY]

Anyone going to the assessment day March 19th/20th? Although I've gotta say, reading how bitchy some of the current SilverJet crew are, I'm not so excited about it! := Let me know if you're going, thanks!

[Ops! I did it again]

Im a pilot at Silverjet and all I will say is that I wouldnt believe everything you read on PPrune!

You dont know who people really are... And the negetives I have seen on most forums about Silverjet is 99.9% B*llocks! :ugh:

Go to the interview and have a bash... you will see that the Girls and Guys are a Fantastic bunch!

If they say yes Great!... If they say no, then better luck next time!

Goodluck! :ok:

PS. Silverjet crew are not Bitchy! We are all very proud of our great little(soon to be Big) Airline... The Silverjet crew are they Best and most pleasent I have ever had the fortune of working with! :ok:

Ops now crawls back to the flightdeck with tea in hand and locks the Door!

[BestonBoard]

Ops... you never fail to make me smile... :o)

QuerTY - I can fully understand your apprehension. Reading some of the comments that are posted within this forum is enough to scare many an individual away. Which is a little disheartening.

Having flown for Silverjet from day 1, I can hold my hand on my heart, and with the utmost integrity tell you that working at Silverjet, you will meet some of the nicest people. Not just in the airline industry, but in any walk of life. The crew I have the pleasure to fly with are mostly passionate, considerate and caring.

Unfortunately, as the saying goes "There is always one..."

There are a minority of people that, whilst I do not in any way infer that they are not entitled to an opinion, do have a very negative viewpoint on either Silverjet as a company, it's management, and unfortunately members of our crew.

These viewpoints are not just limited to Silverjet, or even cabin crew as a matter of fact. (Take a look at some of the pilot forums... I would not like to be caught in that crossfire.)

As you may appreciate, when someone is happy with something, they very rarely provide feedback on the matter... whether this be good work, or enjoying the role you are in. If something upsets someone, they are more likely to speak out.

I think I mentioned before, not a lot of our online crew post on here. A lot of discussions do seem to be one sided, and eventually diminish.

Go for your assessment day. We will have cabin crew representatives present. Take the opportunity to talk to them. (I'm pretty sure you will not be assessed on everything you say!) There's no harm in a friendly discussion.
Take the opportunity to make your own mind up. Silverjet may not be the airline for you.

Would you want to end up with the feeling of "What if?", because of some words that you have read?

Good Luck & Safe Happy Flying

BoB

[Airhostessdream]

Hi everyone

I thought I would share my assesment day feedback with you all. After reading this whole thread, I thought I would go along to the assesment and experience it for myself. I am not sure If I agree on all the negative things said here, but I do know I gave it my best shot and was super confident and took part-lead in the group exercise, but not domineering or anything like that.
However they choose 7 out 0f 40 candidates and they picked one from each group. And like it was stated earilier on here it was ones who they maybe able to mould eaisly as it was more quieter ones, who did get involved but was also more laid back, and people with no flying experience.
I usually take a back seat but this time I thought I'd talk more and I didn't get it:{. Such a shame as they sounded a brilliant airline and all the wannabes I met on the day, Most were lovely.

[flygirl28]

Firstly, i am really sorry that you didnt get through. I'm going to sound like your mum, but i think anyone who has dreamt of becoming cabin crew would agree that resilience and an ability to keep trying are key.
Good to hear someone who has positive things to say about their interview experience. I am a huge advocate of Silverjet and find that its the minority rather than the majority that write negatively on this forum.
Of course everyone is entitled to their opinion, just good to see that you made the decision to find out for yourself.
Good luck in fulfilling your dream. :)

[BestonBoard]

Firstly, please accept my commiserations that you were not successful on this occasion... Contrary to popular belief, our recruitment team do have a set citeria to which candidates must be successful in all areas to be able to proceed to the next level. I am sorry it seemed that only inexperienced or non flyers seemed to be successful. In my opinion, being proactive, instead of taking a back seat is a great quality.
Unfortunately, not being part of your recruitment process, I cannot speak for your assessors... Please do not be disheartened... I notice you have also enquired on the EOS thread... good for you! There are currently a limited amount of business class only, or first class only airlines out there, alongside EOS, another strong candidate would be someone like Privatair... However, neither of their products (although marketed in similar ways) are the same as us... EOS, although advertised as business class, are more of a 1st class product... with the prices to match. Privatair... are just that... Private... corporate flight attendants, working on smaller aircraft that operate longhaul routes...

I believe I have mentioned before, Silverjet are looking for crew who are willing to go the extra mile, be part of a team, whilst being able to show their individuality, use their own initiative, whilst being everything that our brand portrays whilst at work... All of this because you want to, not because you have to... Believe me, it does become apparent very soon if Silverjet is not the airline for you. For example, some people find it very uncomfortable being on 1st name terms with their customers.

Our recruitment will soon be hitting the ground running... With the arrival of 2 new aircraft, the announcement of 2 new destinations and with the new financial year and pay reviews happening in the near future... Silverjet is looking to the skies methinks!

I hesitate to comment on some posts on here, however, may I take the opportunity to stress... Silverjet are not an airline that want crew to fly for us because we are the first British all business class airline... In my experience, we want individuals to fly for us... to be the person they are, and to help us all grow, and develop, and to want to be the best they can be at what they do!

Good luck to anyone who is coming to our upcoming Assessment Centres... I hope I will see you onboard very soon!

BoB

[crewmeal]

I am sorry it seemed that only inexperienced or non flyers seemed to be successful.

So flying experience counts for nothing at Silverjet? Why?

[befree]

The AvgasDinosaur -5th March 2008, 10:07
Which day does the 4th plane come?
4th is due 10th March c/n 25058 ex G-BYAA
5th is due 31st March c/n 25139 ex G-BYAB


BestonBoard & AvgasDinosaur seems to know all the facts so can I ask
1) have the aircraft been delayed into the next financial year?
2) The planes have 102 "beds" but only 100 are used in Load factors, are the other 2 used for staff?

[vainbone]

hey as a former member of crew for silverjet i would like to comment on BOBs last paragraph where he says we want crew to be themselves and be good at what they do as BOB would know i was always myself and was very good at what i did but in the end it didnt help me being myself because my blood dont flow with silver and i got treated like S"@t when i handed my resagnation in not that im bitter now lol but being ur self dont really help you.
but endending on a good note they are a ok little company towork for if u dont mind no crew rest and back to backs lol and certian people in the company will stab u in the back as soon as look at you (Not u BOB ) we all know who u are ladies how is the new IFM postion working out for u ? hope that little note book u kept did it for you. For those of you who are wondering she is small and got blonde hair and from up north thats all im saying
Vainbone xxx
Safe landings and happy flying

[LGW21]

HI the email i recieved the other day states that the new routes are LA and Mumbai but wont be holding my breath untill the A/C turn up.
x x

[prepareforlanding]

Hey Everyone,
Im brand new on this site, this thread goes pretty well.
I would appreciate if someone could help me, or give me some good pieces of advice,
I have invited to the SJ interview on 22nd of this month (Is there anyone else coming?), so Im not asking how does the interview or the assessment centre look like, cause I think its better not prepare according to the "screenplay", so in case of sudden or suprising happenings you wont be so astonished..
Im from Hungary, therefore my mother language isnt the English and I am afraid I wont understand them or Could my accent( which isnt that really bad) be a disadvantage?Or if i make some grammatical mistakes?
Do they usually hire foreigners? Im sorry if im worrying too much:)
If anyone else is attending, pls let me know.

Thank you guys take care;)

[BestonBoard]

So flying experience counts for nothing at Silverjet? Why?


Flying experience is essential if you wish to apply for Senior positions. However, it is not a prerequisite if you are applying to be cabin crew. Silverjet believe life experience and a wealth of customer service experience is most valuable. Of course you may have developed this throughout a flying career... Or you may have not.


HI the email i recieved the other day states that the new routes are LA and Mumbai but wont be holding my breath untill the A/C turn up.
x x


Which email is this? I have to admit, as far as I am aware, our next destinations are still not 'set in stone' ...

Prepareforlanding... Good luck for your Asessment day. If it does alleviate any of your concerns. We have crew from many nationalities. Italian, Spanish, Polish, French (to name a few...) An accent can be an endearing quality. There is no harm asking for instructions or questions to be repeated at your Assessment Day.

Befree... being part of the onboard team. I am afraid I cannot comment on how load factors etc are worked out. Our initial aircraft which we operated on for the first nine months has only 100 seats (It is a slightly different configuration.) When original calculations were quoted, perhaps they based it on this model, but have now modified it as 2 of our aircraft have 2 extra seats.

Hey Vainbone... How are the skies treating you?

Safe and happy flying one and all!

BoB

[LGW21]

LONDON (Thomson Financial) - Business airline Silverjet Plc. said it is in talks about a potential takeover of the company.

The carrier, which flies from Luton to New York Newark and Dubai, said in a statement that it had noted a recent increase in its share price.

'The company is currently in discussions which may or may not lead to an offer for the issued share capital of the company,' the group said. 'A further announcement will be made when appropriate.'

Speculation has emerged about Silverjet's future following negative analyst comment and results that disappointed investors.

One report suggested the business airline could become a takeover target for easyJet Plc. after it said in January that it had appointed Amir Eilon, a former board member of the budget carrier and friend of easyJet's largest shareholder Stelios Haji-Ioannou, as a non-executive director.

In January, stockbroker Daniel Stewart initiated coverage on the airline with a 'sell' rating and zero pence price target, saying it doubted the group's business model. Silverjet hit back, saying it was confident the carrier would achieve its first month of operating profit in March.

The group failed to achieve that target, but said earlier this month that it flew 23 percent more passengers in March than it did in February.
In February, Silverjet said property tycoons the Reuben brothers had decided against turning a 10 mln stg loan to the business airline into shares.

Silverjet launched services from the UK to the US in January last year. The group's share price has fallen since it floated in 2006 and concerns have grown about the feasibility of the all-business class, long-haul airline model since US premium only carrier Maxjet Airways filed for bankruptcy late last year.

However, some analysts believe there could be space for different types of premium-only carriers.

The group's shares closed at 15-1/4 pence on Wednesday. It floated on AIM in May 2006 with a placing price of 112 pence per share.

TFN.newsdesk(at)thomson.com

[BestonBoard]

LGW, may I ask your reason for posting this? Any person with a vested interest in our operations will note that these publications are posted on the Airlines/Airports and Routes string...

Whilst I am not trying to distract from it's importance and relevance, this forum is purely for cabin crew... those wanting to apply, who would consider us and the existing cabin crew online...

The factors that involve the company, will no doubt have an impact on my colleagues and myself. However, I can state for FACT that I only have the best interests of my teammates and friends at heart. If Silverjet is subject to a takeover in the near future, I would hope the senior management will inform us. It is a great concern however, that any confidential information that is passed on to us will appear on these forums as soon as we know. Do you not think our management team are aware of this? Hence the reason that cabin crew are now some of the last to know about the events happening within the company???

Unfortunately, it is due to disparaging remarks, made by scaremongers, that now force our CEO, whom I respect greatly for his honesty and integrity when dealing with his employees, to keep a great amount of business matters to himself...

Please take a moment to think of the great number of people you have an impact on before posting thoughtless and somewhat disheartening 'reports'...

I fully agree that the cabin crew team ( a sensational one at that) deserve to know what their current status is... Why not let the company be the first to inform us, rather than posting a reporters subjective opinion... The English language can be misinterpreted VERY easily...

BoB

[chix or fish]

Whilst in agreement with some of your remarks regarding the status of Silverjet at this time and the effect on existing crew of reporting misleading newspaper articles and hearsay, i do think that they have a place within this forum.

This particular thread is read and posted on by both current employees of Silverjet and those subsequently looking for employment by Silverjet. The crew and wannabes are more than capable of looking for information on the proposed 'take over' themselves and surely it is in their long term interests to remain informed with regards to what may or may not happen. The majority of people who read and post on this site are adults and capable of forming their own opinions about what may or may not be happening at Silverjet.

PPRUNE is just that a rumours network. Surely by ranting at forum posters for doing just what the network wa set up to do is detracting from the real reason this website was created.

[silverhunk]

Very new to this site, but just checking in with you all to say hi. I have just been sent out an offer of employment with SJ, and of course accepted. I am on course 21 if any one else is and wants to get in contact?
Really excited about starting with SJ and look forward to flying with you all soon.
ps if any one knows of any accomodation, whilst im on my training course please let me know!!! Starting on the 27th of May. But will only need it for six weeks.

[chixorfish]

heard a rumour that the Customer Service Director MB has been sacked....anyone care to shed any light on this?

[pebbles4308]

I heard that silverjet got refused fuel from shell on thursday and had to beg steal and borrow to get some fuel from esso???

Are they following in suit of the likes of maxjet, eos and oasis??

These are worrying times:\

[wingswest]

At the beginning of May, Silverjet said that they had arranged an $8.4 million loan facility from Viceroy Holdings (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Viceroy_Holdings&action=edit&redlink=1), a Middle Eastern investor. However, the airline has been unable to draw down $5 million that it needed urgently, and consequently, on 23 May (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_23) 2008 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008), trading of Silverjet's shares was suspended on the AIM.[3] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silverjet#cite_note-2)

[DUAL RATED]

Any up dates as to whats going on? will the crew downroute get home when its knocked on the head, which seems inevitable next week

[Virginia]

My thoughts are with all the crew and staff...I would be very wary of joining a start up airline with such a niche market in difficult times. Worrying times for us all in aviation.

[joshmist03]

:= Dual Rated, I only post on here when my blood boils and your comment has done just that. My last post was nealrly a year and a half ago...since than i have been enjoying a great career with Silverjet and I am PROUD to be one of the first few who started flying in Feb 07.
As with everything you may hear, dont believe it until you see it in black and white and not on PPrune. Just remember every great company has a contingency plan.:ok:

[DivingDiva]

I was one of the lucky few (especially in the UK) that had the opportunity of working for Eos Airlines before they filed for bankruptcy last month so I am acutely aware of the worries that are currently facing the crew and employees of Silverjet.

When the senior team of Eos came to our hotel to tell us the news, they were shedding tears just as we were and I truly hope that no one from Silverjet has to suffer the same as I have even applied to Silverjet myself and am awaiting a recruitment day as Eos was such an amazing experience, I had hoped to regain that with the Silverjet team.

My hopes are with you all that Silverjet find a way to keep its doors open and make a successful of now this very niche market.

Regards
Abby

[DUAL RATED]

joshmist03
Sounds like you have forgotten what PPRUNE stands for
I may have made your blood boil but im only airing the concerns of my partner who works for them and not being blinkered to the issues. Some of it is in black and white with shares suspended, if you could explain that for me what would be great. Surely with the current market, cost of fuel etc any injection of cash will not last long. I hope it lasts, the concept is great, used them a few times for work and I hope they survive my thoughts are with you. the whole industry is in for a rough ride we need to face up to it!

IMO I feel they shouldn’t have opened up a second route to NY when somewhere else would have been a better idea LA or Chicago? and Dubai has too much competition especially in the summer months, not a good situation to be in, lets hope for you all, they make it to Friday so you get paid. But the banks open today and the next 24-hour should be interesting.

[DUAL RATED]

sad news today for all you at Silverjet. any idea what will happen about getting paid? i ask on behalf of my partner

[SallyEZY]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7427056.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7427056.stm)


Feel sorry for the crew......

[Leito]

WOW, very sad, I know some people in there, I wish everyone all the best and that they can soon find other jobs. :uhoh:

[Dolley]

Difficult times.

Aviation goes through a bitter phase. I'll add my best wishes to the crew and all other employees who are out of a job.

By now I can't help start wondering who is going to be next. Horrible thought, I know! I might just start looking for non-aviation jobs, just in case :-(

[joshmist03]

Yes as of the present, we have worked over 5 weeks and have nothing to show for it. The Flight deck and head office got paid on the 25th, the crew....should have been paid today, but that wont materialise. Its now up to the administrators (If they have an ounce on compassion) to make crew salaries a priority but im not holding my breath.

Thanks to all who have posted messages of support and respect to Lawrence Hunt our fab CEO who fought tooth and nail for us and his baby.
I have never met such a genuine and hard working gent.

As for us the Ex crew of Silverjet, weve all been supporting each other, the shock comes in waves and then it hits you....the mortgage payments.....the car loan.......the £17 meal i had in new york......the council tax and so on.

[DivingDiva]

I am so sorry...I know these words will be said over and over and almost lose meaning, but I have been in your situation and "sucks" doesn't come close to whats been lost.

I have only just got home and seen some details but to attempt to put a positive on a very negative is that the company has brought in administrators, not filed for insolvency. For those who dont understand the difference, insolvency/bankruptcy is the final end when a company believe there is no salvaging it and they close doors whereas administrators are people employed to assess the business and whether or not they can trade the business back on track.

I hope Silverjet can be salvaged but to those who are now left wondering what to do - my heart goes out to you all!

Abby x

[EzyChic]

I'm really sorry guys,

wish everyone the best of luck for the future.

Ezy

[flightlevelchange]

Sorry to hear the news this morning,

Hope it all works out for you, from a fellow cabin crew member, was a fantastic service did enjoy it on a recent trip to dubai and was hoping to re book for later on this year

All the best of luck, hope to see the SilverJet Flying again soon

FLC

[Virginia]

Can't say I was shocked but I really feel for the SJ staff. :( Must be terrible. Unfortunately in these times, they will not be the last to be made redundant.

What's going to happen to the 3 aircraft?

[Pswinny]

I would just like to say how sad I'm feeling right now for the workers of SJ, i know quite a few cabin crew and ops guys who work their hardest every day.

Hope a resolution can come soon, by means of another airline buyout, and you guys can once again trade under the Silverjet name.

All the best.... :sad:

[The Real Slim Shady]

The statement on the website talks about refinancing and recommencing operation.

Given the way you have apparently been singled out for non payment of salary would any of you go back?

[stansdead]

It won't rise from the Ashes. You MUST move on and move up.

Good luck in getting paid. I hope they sort you out quickly.

[ptc]

From the Silverjet website

To our dear customers,
When our inaugural flight took off in January 2007, we pledged to change the face of air travel. Your appreciation of our unique values and your belief in our product has allowed us to achieve this.
Your belief in us was shared by our investors - but regrettably, due to unforeseen circumstances, they were unable to unlock the finance that we needed. As a result, we are very sad to announce that from 30 May 2008, we will cease operations and we are no longer able to honour flight reservations.
We extend our sincerest apologies to those of you who have travel plans with Silverjet in the future and at present. You are advised to seek alternative travel arrangements with other carriers, and contact your credit card company or travel agent directly for information on obtaining refunds.
We are working actively with new investors who are prepared to inject new funds so we can recommence operations. If we are able to achieve this, we will make an announcement as soon as possible and we hope to be able to bring you our very 'sivilised' flying experience again.
Thank you for your support - it has meant everything.
Yours sincerely,

http://www.flysilverjet.com/images/lhsig.jpg

Lawrence Hunt, CEO







Seems fairly final to me!

[AdamLT]

A real shame to hear about the close of the company.
But great to see one of their pilots flying a de Havilland Vampire at RAF Cosford today..and looked like he enjoyed every minute of it :)