Lots of thread creep on this one, but after all, what is PPRuNe really for?
But since a few have chosen to hijack the thread and go on an uninformed rant, it's time to set the record straight on foreign pilots flying for Sunwing (and other Canadian carriers) in the winter. The carriers involved (and their Canadian pilots) benefit from reciprocal arrangements that allow Canadian pilots to work in Europe during the summer months. In all of these cases, there is a balance on both sides (one for one), and in at least one of these cases, more Canadians have traditionally gone to Europe in the summer than have come this way in the winter. And while the postings in Europe provide a full 6 months of work for virtually every position, many of the spots offered to our European colleagues are 4 to 5 months in duration, thereby swinging the "benefit" of these jobs further in our direction.
These positions help to support a significant increase in holiday charter demand in opposite seasons. More Europeans take their vacations in the summer, while we Canadians need our fill of vitamin D and cheap rum in the winter. It's a function of the marketplace that if the Canadian charter carriers didn't grow their fleets to meet this demand, it would be filled somehow. Air Canada and Westjet do not have the capacity to meet the increase in demand. So if someone didn't fill that demand here in Canada, we'd see more Canadians (particularly those living near the US border) going across the border and flying with a US carrier, which would do nothing to improve the employment prospects of Canadian pilots, not to mention all the others who benefit in these companies. Sunwing, for example, went from a fleet of 2 - 3 aircraft here in Canada last summer to 15 aircraft this winter. Their summer fleet will shrink again this coming summer. What are they (the company) supposed to do? Keep a 2 to 1 surplus of pilots on the payroll for the summer months with no work for the majority of them to do? I can gaurantee you that if Westjet, or Air Canada, (or BA or Southwest) had a two thirds decrease in their business in short order, their benevolence would not extend to the level of keeping all of their pilots on the payroll!
The reality, as hard as it may be for some to accept, is that these reciprocal agreements provide gainful employment for more Canadian pilots than we'd have if billy and Willie (how cute
) actually had it their way.