Australia, New Zealand & the Pacific Airline and RPT Rumours & News in Australia, enZed and the Pacific

Jetstar Aus/NZ Positions

Old 29th Aug 2016, 12:57
  #61 (permalink)  
 
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For guys thinking of joining:
Average hours for last 7 years: 640/year. Never cracked 700hours.

Annual summary 2015 around $130+ with almost no OT, 2016: $185+ to give you an indication of bonuses and a fair amount of OT. I am a level 3 320 FO. Day off payments are rare in my base as we aren't flogged as hard. This financial year will probably be about 700-750hrs when I finally do the logbook before my next medical.
Overtime and day off payments vary greatly from base to base (extra 300hrs or $50k at a guess) that will also change a little as crewing levels change. If you want to do less hours, try Flexi line.

Jetstar does offer a few lifestyle options (long haul vs short haul, flexi line and choice of base) (control over your roster definitely is NOT one) but you will be working for the rest of your life. Time to command: current upgrades I'm guessing have been here 9 years or more. I've been here over 8 and if I'm lucky I may have a chance next year. Not sure about time to command for new joiners but I guess Jetstar doesn't have the retirement rate or fleet growth that many mature airlines have. JQ has had its growth spurt. If you're just looking for a step up, that probably doesn't phase you.

Biggest pro for me: time at home with family. Stable employer.
Biggest negative: No roster control/input (apart from a few day off requests which are unpredictable). It is and always will be a LCC.
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Old 29th Aug 2016, 19:20
  #62 (permalink)  
 
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9 years and no upgrade?? Joined in 2007?

You on HR's naughty list or something?
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Old 30th Aug 2016, 03:48
  #63 (permalink)  
 
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How likely is it they will expand the 787 fleet?
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Old 30th Aug 2016, 05:50
  #64 (permalink)  
 
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Bloody great company to work for.

Good money, good allowances, wide variety of flying.

Best of all, the flight crew standards are great and there is always a move to improve in relation to both check and training and best practices operationally.

They are constantly trying to cut costs in areas that will often be of irritation to you but never a safety of flight threat.

Actual just culture works and his respected by everyone I've come across.

They provide open and public feedback on the C and T department too, not sure if you're going to find that with too many other operators.

Great base options and there is less screwing with the rosters than Tiger for example, although it certainly does happen at times.

Biggest downside will be your time to command (again because of the median age of captains) although if you're young this should be of little influence. If all the captains were leaving then that might tell you a different story about the company.

We make money and have good prospects to remain in the black for years to come, but don't tell anyone!
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Old 31st Aug 2016, 00:02
  #65 (permalink)  
 
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I take it Willie that you have enjoyed your first two months.
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Old 31st Aug 2016, 08:09
  #66 (permalink)  
 
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I think what Hawk Circle is trying to say is......

How much sick leave do you fellas get?
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Old 31st Aug 2016, 08:21
  #67 (permalink)  
 
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Originally Posted by Hawk Circle
Anyone on here with firsthand knowledge willing to give an indication of the lifestyle elements associated with Jetstar...knowing that it is a LCC operator.

* Number of overnights
* Roster stability/predictability

Number of overnights very greatly depending on your fleet and base. You can bid to avoid or accrue overnights. What's your base of choice and I might be able to give something more concrete.

Roster is very stable once published, with the caveat of disruptions meaning you may be called out on standby and could be displaced from your next duty. If your base is busy that probably means a lot of call outs. Normally you only get 3-4 standby days per month. The EBA and day of ops agreement have some good basic clauses for lifestyle protection. We don't have draft.
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Old 2nd Sep 2016, 04:44
  #68 (permalink)  
 
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Not overly sure what boomerang has been smoking but from working at the same airline I can assure you it is about a million miles from rosy
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Old 2nd Sep 2016, 05:05
  #69 (permalink)  
 
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Originally Posted by Boomerang
Number of overnights very greatly depending on your fleet and base. You can bid to avoid or accrue overnights. What's your base of choice and I might be able to give something more concrete.

Roster is very stable once published, with the caveat of disruptions meaning you may be called out on standby and could be displaced from your next duty. If your base is busy that probably means a lot of call outs. Normally you only get 3-4 standby days per month. The EBA and day of ops agreement have some good basic clauses for lifestyle protection. We don't have draft.
Similar questions - Melbourne would be preferred base
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Old 2nd Sep 2016, 10:46
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Originally Posted by HOOROO
Not overly sure what boomerang has been smoking but from working at the same airline I can assure you it is about a million miles from rosy
Well then, rather than have a vague whinge why don't you provide something concrete for these new guys? My experience here, overall, is positive, otherwise I wouldn't stay. There is definitely room for improvement and sometimes they really do 'try it on', but what other Australian carrier would you rather work for and why aren't you there?
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Old 3rd Sep 2016, 06:05
  #71 (permalink)  
 
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Originally Posted by Boomerang
Well then, rather than have a vague whinge why don't you provide something concrete for these new guys? My experience here, overall, is positive, otherwise I wouldn't stay. There is definitely room for improvement and sometimes they really do 'try it on', but what other Australian carrier would you rather work for and why aren't you there?
You hit the nail on the head with the 'try it on' airlines basically. Sorry didn't mean to have a go, came out wrong after a very long 4 sector day.
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Old 3rd Sep 2016, 07:15
  #72 (permalink)  
 
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I think what was mentioned earlier, saying that if you're flying a jet for the first time and basically 'upgrading' with Jetstar, it is worth it, but don't expect it to be rosy at all . If you're on a check and training job in GA on something turbine/jet/and or multi-crew, you might be better staying put where you are.

The crew at Jetstar are home every night, rarely doing overnights, pay is ok, leave is entitled to each pilot every year, but goodluck trying to get the time off WHEN you want it off . Guys are doing about 900 hours are year realistically, sure you can work part time but the company has to agree to it, you can bet how well that goes down at this time when they need so many pilots.

Duties are around 10hrs long on average sign-on to sign-off, usually 4-5 days on a week. Around 11 days off a month. Days are quite long when you factor in driving through traffic, catching the airport bus then walking to the crew room before and after your duties. Scheduling is usually 4 sectors or 2 long sectors. Rest between duties can be quite minimal (9 hours sometimes) which is legal believe it or not! Try driving 1 hour home through traffic and 1 hour to work in the morning, then playing sport for 1-2 hours and seeing your kids/wife another hour and what are you left with maybe 5 hours to sleep?? But it's ok! because the new CEO likes to put in his email footer that safety is our number one priority, as long as we say that and print it everywhere, it means we are being safe. Regardless of the fact that crew are being made to do ridiculous back-of-clock trips and are putting multiple fatigue safety reports in every week which are being ignored due to officially there being 'not enough cumulative data'. Well just wait for the next accident to occur and i'm sure there will be enough 'data' to reconsider it! There's a reason Qantas just about never do 2 crew back-of-clock return flights. Which airline really cares about safety?

Time to command is probably 10+ years easily, most captains are 35-40 years old. Yes there are mid 30-year old captains on the 787! (nothing against that btw) Most of the 99 NEO A320's QF have ordered are not being added to Jetstar's fleet, but replacing older CEO A320's so the fleet isn't going to expand, neither in long-haul. Jetstar isn't getting any more 787's for the foreseeable future. Again, as mentioned, Jetstar's huge growth spurt has come and gone, the industry itself doesn't have much more capacity to expand domestically, not like it did 5-6 years ago anyway. The best you can hope for is some expansion into Asia-pacific when the NEO's arrive, but that will be minor compared to their expansion previously. Word's recently from a wide-body FO who's been in the company 7 years already, he says it's another 3-4 years before he's due for a command.

It is what it is, there are worse airlines to work for. Jump on in, do your time and move on elsewhere to bigger and better things. Goodluck




*I don't claim to work for them, but this info is accurate and first-hand*
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Old 3rd Sep 2016, 12:57
  #73 (permalink)  
 
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BlackPrince has given a fair account so it gives you an idea what you are in for in a big/busy base. I'm lucky to be in a quieter base, but that said we have seen what can happen to quieter bases. Hobart, Adelaide, Darwin were all closed at various times so it is indeed not all rosy. Looking at MEL, pilots are on average 92 (credit/block) hours for the month. Overnights are hard to judge, but looks like a few per month roughly. Maybe someone in base can comment. Many big bases are in the same boat. 90 hours a month for several month is not fun and unfortunately I don't see this changing until a significant number of new pilots have joined.
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Old 4th Sep 2016, 08:57
  #74 (permalink)  
 
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If you're on a check and training job in GA on something turbine/jet/and or multi-crew, you might be better staying put where you are.
Mmm I can tell you that Im earning a crap load more as a FO at JQ on the 320 and enjoying a better lifestyle than I ever was doing C/T on turboprops. But if thats your thing then stay in GA or regionals by all means- someones gotta do it. As for JQ it is what it is, do what is best for your sutuation. Wait and join QF or there is always Emirates or Cathay; they are really popular....
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Old 4th Sep 2016, 13:28
  #75 (permalink)  
 
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Pilots make me laugh.

When you're not working hard you whinge about no overtime. When you're working hard you whinge about working hard.

The above poster is obviously Sydney base, and unless you have a necessity to live in Sydney, go to another base. You'll be much happier. You'll probably live longer too.

The pays good now at the star, the lifestyle bases are there and whilst it's slowed down for time to command, it's the same in every other major Australian jet operator. Historically in all airlines you'd be lucky to see the left seat of a jet in Australia in 15 years.

I think many pilots in Australia got unrealistic expectations of progression in the post Ansett period. In reality, there was certainly a bit of growth, but the young guys pretty much took the commands from guys who had waited their 15 years as the new airlines grew into the formers footprint.
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Old 5th Sep 2016, 00:59
  #76 (permalink)  
 
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Why obviously Sydney? The F/O's in Melbourne and Brisbane are working big hours as well. With the overtime and WDO payments some F/O's are netting 12k a month. Try achieving that in GA.
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Old 5th Sep 2016, 02:05
  #77 (permalink)  
 
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It's great making 12K net a month but if you are working your Days off what QOL is that?
No point being the richest man in the graveyard.....
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Old 5th Sep 2016, 02:50
  #78 (permalink)  
 
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Completely agree with you HTL, I was just trying to demonstrate that there is a big difference in net pay at the moment between GA and jet F/O positions. The QOL issues are more relevant to the family people (as a generalisation) but with families comes financial pressures so the money does help them. Everything in aviation is cyclical though and there will be a time when the hours drop and paypackets shrink.
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Old 5th Sep 2016, 03:04
  #79 (permalink)  
 
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Totally agree with you as well Lookleft - You've described pretty much the situation I'm in. I have a young child with my wife on Mat leave so initially flying these 90-100hr rosters was great for the extra $$$, now I'm in the 6th month of doing these sorts of hours and I can tell you that it is starting to hurt. Prior to having my child I wondered why everyone was complaining about the hours / control over rosters etc...now I'm a father I completely sympathise and agree! FYI I'm in a 'lifestyle' base i.e. not SYD/MEL/BNE/ADL so we are getting flogged everywhere across the network (except maybe our PER brothers and sisters)
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Old 5th Sep 2016, 08:36
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I was exactly the same HTL, when I didn't have kids I often thought people were moaning a bit much but my opinion changed when the down time at home and ability to sleep undisturbed dried up! Maybe they should put an age limit on pilots of 35 ?
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