Righto, there is obviously a bit of interest in the state of play at AirNZ at the moment. Here is my take on what's going on. Sorry to be a bit vague with details of allowances etc, but we all need to be a bit careful with what is posted up here. If you really want the details, get hold of a copy of the current contract and do a bit of adding up.
So, whilst on the topic of contracts, some of you may have heard of the dispute currently underway regarding new pilot pay rates. The situation is as follows. ALPA is the majority union at ANZ with something like 80% or more of pilots being members and working under the CEA. Late last year the contract was renegotiated, and whilst not being the best deal ever, it was ratified. Not long after, the smaller union, FANZ (also known as the Feds) signed off their deal. They basically took a smaller pay rise for their capts in order to give a much larger rise to the second officers/737 FOs. This ended up in the FANZ pilots earning up to 13% more than their ALPA counterparts. They did this in order to attract new members as they are currently a dying union. ALPA is in court to try to enforce a parity clause but this may take some time. In the mean time, pilots are able to temporarily leave ALPA and pick up the Fed deal as an individual. In any case, if you are joining, talk to ALPA about your options. That out of the way......
Air NZ is going through the biggest expansion it has ever seen. Next year there is projected to be 138 new hires. In two years there is around 1400 seat changes. Suffice it to say, it is musical chairs at the moment, but the music will stop. Most new hires will go onto the 777 as second officers. A few will go to the 767 or 747, and a few will go to the 737 as FOs.
The 777 job is what most of you will be looking at. At the moment it does daily flights to LHR via LAX, and return AKL/LAX, about 4 YVR a week, the odd SFO, NRT, KIX, PVG and a bit to the islands. London is a nine day trip. The rest vary between 3-5 days. Most depart in the evening and arrive back in AKL in the morn. A normal roster might have a LHR, 5 days off, a 3 day lax, 4 days off, and maybe a 4 day YVR. Expect to have around 12-14 days off most months, give or take a couple with a min of ten days off. Average flight hours are around 75 per month, varying between 60 and 90. All hours are logged and counted for credit from push to on blocks, even if you are in the bunk. It's the law, don't fight it, just accept it. The 747 fleet is in serious wind down mode. Only two left, and only really one flying. Expect a lot of time on call, or rostered free of duty. Great if you want time at home, not so good for the pay packet. The 767 is a pretty good fleet. It services the pacific rim. Most trips will be 3-4 days. The 737 is slowly being replaced by the A320 but is here for a few years yet. Expect to work pretty hard. Purely a domestic fleet. Working 4-5 days a week with days varying from 2-5 sectors. No back of the clock.
Progression: Air NZ is traditionally a VERY slow moving airline. Ie, 8-10 years as a SO, then maybe 5 years as 320 FO, then 8-10 years as wide body FO before 320 command at around 20 years service, and wide body command at around 25-30 years, if you're still alive. At the moment it is going gangbusters though. A320 FO jobs are rocketing down the list, and there is 120 planned for next year so for those joining now, they will likely have a slot next year. All the other jobs are also coming down, but as a new hire do not expect to get any further up than 320 FO anytime this decade. You never know your luck, but this should be your expectation. You are not locked on to your first type, but after your first move there is a two year lock on for new type ratings.
The pay: Hmm, a bit of a sensitive subject. Ill give some broad indications. On starting the training pay is rubbish. About 40k I think. However, after passing your type rating you go onto year one pay. After a year, if you have atpl theory completed, you go straight to year four pay. On year four pay, doing 75 hours, you will bank somewhere around $2600 per fortnight. A big month might be $3000, and a quiet one $2300. On top of this, the company will match superannuation contributions up to 7.5% and pay $1000 per annum for professional insurances. You do not pay for uniform, parking, jepps, or anything else. There is a bond of 30k for type ratings, which you have to pay if you leave the company within I think 18 months of training. If you stay, there is no cost. I have never heard of anyone having to pay. While on a ToD, you will receive cash allowances in local currency when arriving in the hotel. Ill not go into details, but suffice it to say, they are sufficient to feed and entertain you while you are away.
Commuting: All new hires will be expected to live in AKL. There are domiciles available in CHC and WLG for 737 and 320, but they are hard to come by. As a new hire, do not expect to get one for several years. For long haul pilots, commuting is a valid option. The company cannot stop anyone from living anywhere they want, but they can and do restrict the use of staff travel to commute. Once you are in, you can request from your fleet manager to commute, and he cannot unreasonably turn you down. You need to show that it will not be overly fatiguing. If approved, you can use staff travel to commute. You need to use firm tickets, which are available at 50% of the public rate. You are allowed to change four sectors per roster free of charge. Life is a lot easier if you live in AKL but commuting is possible, and for most, the light at the end of the tunnel is a 320 job in WLG or CHC. They have been dead mans boots up until now, but there should be a few more positions coming up from now on.
All in all, it's a great job. There is absolute seniority so it is all about getting in ASAP. It's good times now, but no one knows when the big slow down will come, but it will come. Don't get in, then bitch about the lack of movement, even though that's exactly what everyone does. Long haul is fun for a while, then boring, then bloody annoying. It's nearly all back of the clock. There is quite a bit of four pilot flying which is much better than three. Expect to be tired a lot. The good thing about Air NZ is that there is fourteen different flying jobs, and you can bid for any of them. It might take a while but you will eventually find the one that is right for you. Pay is based on a payload/weight formula, and is rank specific. Ie, the bigger the plane and higher your rank, the more you get paid. This is not intended to be a sales pitch. If you don't want to join, good for you. Everyone is different. If I was getting over forty, I'd be having a good think about whether it adds up for me. If you are under 30, you'd have to be nuts to turn it down.
Disclaimer: In no way do I represent Air NZ. This is not a company communication. This is only to give prospective employees an idea of life on the inside. Any incorrect information is my mistake. Do your own research before making decisions. Find a pilot and buy him a coffee if you want the uncensored version. Good luck.
Last edited by Offcut; 20th Aug 2013 at 10:02.