169 SWISS pilots sent dismissal notices 20/03/2003
Of the 169 pilots who were sent their 6 month notices yesterday, and who are on the bottom of the ex-Crossair list, around 40 or so are commanders. These commanders comprise ex-freelance (eg. less than 40% contract) pilots, ex-Crossair pilots who returned to Crossair in 2001 and early 2002, ex-external contract pilots who transferred to the "normal" company contract in 2001, and direct entry commanders employed during 2001 and early 2002.
The cut-off point of the total 1010 pilots on the ex-Crossair ("OC1") seniority list is somewhere around the February - March 2001 Date of Entry.
Other reductions not included in this 169 figure comprise those already given notice or about to receive notice: about 25 -30 foreign pilots exiting 31/07/2003 and a few pilots 59 or older on 31/03/2003. Additionally there are 18 pilots who have been leased out to Lufthansa Cargo MD11 operations, as well around 20 pilots from the OC1 list will be required to transfer to the ex-Swissair list ("OC2") for the expanding A320 operations.
Subject to any change resulting from existing and future legal action, further reductions due to Gulf War 2 effect and continued unprofitability and unsustainable size, the ex-Crossair list will total about 800 and the ex-Swissair list about 850.