Originally Posted by
ElZilcho
There have been 2 external boards this year that I know of, so ~20 interviewed with 6 expected to start in Nov. Roughly 40 Pilots are either on LWOP or Regional Trainers on Secondment.
P&W engine issues have delayed the company publishing an updated course forecast and they've also cancelled a number of A320 courses this year due to training capacity issues.
Morale is rather low at the moment due to ongoing lifestyle concerns. Bid satisfaction is down, 777 Pilots are getting flogged and Airbus Pilots are doing 3 Call rosters a year. Unfortunately, managements decisions around post COVID fleet and Pilot numbers have proven to be woefully inadequate. We simply don't have enough Aircraft at the moment, especially with a number of NEO's grounded without engines, which is somewhat masking a current Pilot shortage. Recruitment should keep ticking over to ensure we have the numbers to fly additional Aircraft as they arrive, or get new engines.
The 777 is more Senior to the 787 simply because it pays more, except for SO's who are on the same rate regardless of fleet. S7 vs S8 really comes down to route structure. 777 you'll mostly be doing LAX, SFO & IAH while the 787 goes everywhere else. For what it's worth, 777 has the better Crew Rest!
LH Trip length can vary from 2 days to over a week on ULR Trips (SO's only do ORD at the moment). Company releases a bid pack for each roster specifying the average days off and hours flown. If you bid for short trips you'll do more than if you bid for long ones, but with few exceptions, everyone has to fit within the "window". It's a Seniority Bias system meaning a Senior Pilots bids carry more weight than a Juniors but we're all expected to do the same amount of work so keep that in mind when bidding.
10 Days off per 28 day roster with a few fleet specifics around dipping below and rolling averages.
Annual leave is 34 Days + 11 Public holidays which can be converted to leave or accrued as AHR's (days in Lieu). The leave system is a bit convoluted, we have an annual ballot to book leave so you really need to plan ahead and we used balancing days to take leave in either 7 or 14 day blocks. Long Service leave and other benefits come later.
7.5% Kiwisaver.
What are the rough increase in crew numbers required for this extra leased 777 being added?
It will be interesting to see if further leases are added if the 320 Neo fleet are going to be grounded.