Originally Posted by
Overspeed1
Consider this, the lowest paid pilot on long haul (787 SO) is currently costing Qantas over 15k a year stood down. If said pilot agrees to 3 years LWOP and Qantas agrees to kick in 30k for training to get them off the books, it’s a win for everyone and do you think Alliance wouldn’t be licking their lips over that? Just remember I used the cheapest example as well.
As for a company not screwing over their workforce to please a large blue chip client... You do work in aviation right?
Plus they just advertised for direct entry Capt and Fo to fly the brand new toys. In my experience, that usually counts as screwing your existing pilots out of an opportunity.
All of this aside, I don’t think the QF thing will matter that much anyway. No matter what’s in the agreement QF will understand that Alliance can’t be expected to crew the whole thing with LWOP pilots who are going to vanish in a couple of years. That’d be poor risk management. Additionally, there just won’t be that many takers for Adelaide and Darwin, most of QF doesn’t live there and won’t move. There’ll be a few QF folk over there just so management can say “look we helped the stood down pilots out” but I wouldn’t get too worried about it, it’ll be a small percentage in the grand scheme of things.
I said all along that type rated E-Jet pilots were first choice, thats because they have no experience on type and CASA has noted that as well. Hence VA ex e-jet training captains have already been hired on a deal, sent to the sim in Europe and gearing up for the intake of e-jet pilots.
That is not screwing over your work force, they need these guys and a lot of the F100 drivers simply have no interest in doing a new type for the sake of it. They are happy where they are. Yes Alliance will take QF pilots with all training paid for, firstly because they simply will not have enough of their own pilots, there wont be enough type rated new joiners and lastly if it is a choice of a perfectly good king air pilot or a QF pilot where QF offers to absorb all the costs, the king air pilot will unfortunately miss out.
Again Alliance will look at this through business lenses but ultimately have to consider their own work force and the repercussions if they completely screwed them over which as I have said they wont. Some Alliance guys will move to the e-jet but Alliance are introducing a new type with ZERO experience, they need type rated captains and FO's.
As for QF guys not prepared to move to Darwin or Adelaide or do the commute, dont complain when people say you were offered an opportunity but decided to turn it down because it is not Sydney or does not pay a QF salary. Thats on them if they are offered something and turn it down.