Terms and EndearmentThe forum the bean counters hoped would never happen. Your news on pay, rostering, allowances, extras and negotiations where you work - scheduled, charter or contract.
This is directed mainly at our central European colleagues. The airline scene in Poland seems to be changing fast...
- Air Poland recently went out of business, putting some 737NG-rated people out of a job;
- A (reportedly substantial) number of Enter Air's 737 pilots have handed in their notice, apparently due to low pay - even by Polish standards...
- A new charter outfit, Bingo Air, has just emerged with A320s;
- Some pilots recently left flag carrier's LOT's E-jet fleet for OLT Express' expanding A320 fleet (some apparently due to lack of command prospects in the short/medium term);
- Some EuroLOT ATR pilots reportedly joined OLT Express' ATR fleet.
So a lot going on in the Polish pilot job market at the moment. Which outfit will gain from the movement is not yet clear; possibly Ryanair and Wizzair (with their local bases), plus up-and-coming OLT Express...
Cheers
Last edited by FougaMagister; 11th May 2012 at 07:28.
yeah most ya info is spot on, except the one about Some pilots recently leaving LOTs Ejet fleet for Expanding OLT Express I know for a fact its only 1 pilot Lets stick to facts please
Of course! My info was pieced together from second-hand sources, that why it's not 100% accurate. Feel free to correct as needed. Anyway, good to see that even in tough times, some people have enough guts to hand in their notice when they're not treated fairly. Somehow I can't imagine that happening in Western Europe...
That's yesterday's news mate... According to the delivery schedule, EuroLOT should get their first Q400 this month, with crews currently being type rated in the UK.
Call me biased, but I prefer the ATR!
Last edited by FougaMagister; 11th May 2012 at 13:36.
Yeah from what I see (on the occasional jumpseat), E-jets have some very nice features. I like the SID/RoC profile view, drop-down menus, etc. Plus of course controls and thrust levers that actually move and have feedback! And performance to boot. Makes the A320 look its age...
Yeah the A320 has some good features too, specially considering it entered service over 20yrs ago... but the Ejet takes the Technologically Advanced cake
First of all, good Thread! Seems like Poland is one of few countries in EU where you can get jobs! I was trying to find out more about OLT, what is the plan for that guys? To compete with FR and W6 on European routes, or to do the killing on home ground vs LOT and Eurolot? I also heard they fly some holiday charter... How many airframes planned, A320? Any info appreciated! I also heard they pay much better then any other operator in PL Thanks
Poland has indeed a fairly dynamic airline scene - unlike in Western Europe...
From the outside, OLT Express look more like competing with LOT/EuroLOT on domestic and regional routes than with the likes of Wizzair and Ryanair. Some have tried that before and bit the dust...
Once Euro 2012 is over and they have grabbed market share, I suspect they will re-task their A319/320s to European routes - can't really be making money in the long run flying A320s on domestic routes against LOT E-170s and EuroLOT ATRs and Q400s... They do operate charter flights with A320s, but with the "YAP" callsign inherited from Yes Airways - such as YAP7107 to Hurgada that diverted to Sofia.
As of May, fleet numbers were 2 ATR42s and 4 ATR72s, with 5 more to come. 8 A320s, plus 1 A319. Btw, paying "much better than any other operator in PL" does not mean much...
Last edited by FougaMagister; 21st May 2012 at 14:39.
With regards to the pay, that is only what I heard... €225/day for F/O, if being true, is far better then any other pl ops I know (apart from biz jets).
Perhaps, someone from the inside could enlighten us :-)
Enter Air now has one 737 operating out of Paris-Roissy/Charles de Gaulle airport, flying (mostly to the Canary Islands) on behalf of French tour operators. It joins Small Planet Airlines, who also base a 737-300 and a A320 at the main Paris airport:
For the benefit of non-French speakers, the article mentions that French charter airlines are not amused by such competition on their home turf, SPA for instance offering the same level of service for 20% less cost. Air Mediterranee's CEO even questions their right to (temporarily) base aircraft and crews in France... but conveniently forgets to mention that the airline he heads recently delocalized part of its fleet (and crews) to Greece! Talk about double standards...
I know for a fact its only 1 pilot 
