New Startup:ValuAir Singapore

[9M_JON]

from the Star online

"SINGAPORE (AP) - Singapore's first budget airline, ValuAir, plans to fly to destinations within five hours of the city-state starting next year, a news report said Tuesday.

The report in The Straits Times newspaper didn't name the planned destinations, but the strategy will pit the new airline directly against SilkAir, the regional arm of national flag-carrier Singapore Airlines.

ValuAir was set up by former Singapore Airlines executives and a group of businessmen.

It plans to expand its fleet by at least two aircraft a year for the next five years, the paper said, quoting the airline's spokesman Jimmy Lau.

Lau told the paper that ValuAir's first 162-seat Airbus 320 will be delivered in March, while the second will arrive the following month.

The flights are expected to begin in the second quarter of 2004, the report said.

ValuAir could not be immediately reached for comment. - AP "

Another new startup in the region,looks promising especially when there's potential for untapped low fare paying pax.This also means oppurtunities for pilots looking for position.Any idea where they are hiring from?

[Slasher]

More to the point what sort of pay will they be offerin? Itd be logical to predict with the alreadey lousey pay given to Slickair drivers that one offered from a low-cost Sing outfit would be nearer to destitute level.

The real downside is that ex-SQ executives are involved. Leopards dont change there spots overnight so expect a diferent outfit but the same shafting techniques over time.

Ex stalag-SQ kommandants runnin a new POW camp? DEFINITLEY not interested. :hmm:

[Valuair]

Trying very hard to ignore the last post, but of course it is hard since one has to read it a few time just to make out the english!

But to answer the orginal question. We'll be hiring from the open market. Currently rated A320 pilots. Unless of course we come across someone that we'd want to type rate ourselves.

Obviously, our first choice would be someone with both a CAAS licence with an A320 rating. This would cut our costs some, and we're willing to share the savings.

As we've not filled out all our positions with the abovementioned, we would like to 'interview' and start offering positions by mid-November.

Contact PPRuNe Advertising for our incredibly cheap rates reaching 20,000 plus pilots everyday.

[John Barnes]

Poor Slasher, you still don't get it. A company offers a salary and we can take it or leave it. There are still rated pilots that take the offer. It is called market value. It's like you looking for the cheapest offer on your new TV, HR looks for the cheapest pilots. The company isn't cheap, we are the cheap idiots that fly for peanuts.

[Hachiouji-shi]

G'day Valuair, so how does one apply besides emailing Roy? And what are the requirements for both DECs and FOs?

[FatEric]

Valuair,

Good luck. I wish you well.

You will have to hurry as a lot of MI guys are off shortly to Dragon for the money, Eva for the home commute, a couple to VB to be home and other places also.

Offer some of the hi time effohs (5000+ A320 hours) DEC and you will have some quality, keen takers.

All the best.

[9M_JON]

Slasher:DEFINITLEY not interested.

Rest assured ValuAir will also be not interested in you , but DEFINITELY there are a lot of pilots who are interested. Now this is where it gets very interesting, exciting and it would be just as interesting to track the operation and growth of ValuAir.

Budget or no frills airlines operates differently and requires a different breed of professional pilots. They will do 6-8 sectors in just as many hours or less and get paid less than their glamorous counterparts in a major airline. They don’t do night-stops and will operate single type without benefit of moving up to wide bodies. In Airline business everyone knows that it takes a big fortune just so you can make a small fortune. These airlines are all about saving cost and giving it back to budget concious air travellers.Saving cost also means getting the best pilots for what they can offer littlest. So if you are long haul types, higher paid or expat types, you will probably not be seeking here. Would there be pilots (CAAS licensed TR A320) willing to invest their future on a yet to be proven, stable or profitable airline? Probably and maybe for reasons other than financial gain.Immediate captaincy,to be pioneers in a growing company, to have a hand in shaping an airline, to be known by first name by the CEO, and a whole bunch of other reasons a fat paycheck cannot give.

However for every 1 pilot that is in a major airline there are scores more of struggling wannabes from crop dusting bush pilots, self-sponsored GA pilots, smaller regional airlines pilots (local pay vs Singapore Dollar) that are interested, probably more for their FO positions. Terms & conditions are probably secondary compared to being given the opportunity to fly a mainstream modern commercial jet.Ask any freshly graduated pilots. Selecting those that fit ValuAir profile, with the necessary experience and retaining them for a longer term will be a challenge. This is where the HRM and DFO will differ but always remember, it will only take a minor incident due to inexperienced crew to jeopardize a fledgling startup or even ruin it.

Finding suitable candidates will not be so critical with 2 airframes but if and I believe it will, grow then it may pose a challenge. Air Asia is already resorting to cadet sponsoring and Easyjet has their TRSS. You will want pilots that share the optimism, the enthusiasm and vision of the company. Who knows, some major may acquire Valuair and you got your ticket to the wide bodies.Goodluck Valuair.


:ok:

[John Barnes]

Well said and written. happy to see that there are still a few pilots out there with a vision slighter longer than the paycheck. Good luck guys!!!

[stable approach]

9M-JON
What you are describing is an airline that will take anybody who will accept their poor conditions of employment, regardless of experience or quality. Of course pilots can be found any time if an airline is willing to risk this. Fortunately, most reputable airlines are not.
I think you will find that your description of a low cost carrier is actually quite wide of the mark, and that the successful ones actually pay their pilots quite well.

[Slasher]

happy to see that there are still a few pilots out there with a vision slighter longer than the paycheck.

I thought a bloke like you Barnsey would well know that is exactley what SQ executives (ex or not) take advantage of for there own purposes. You forgoten 1993? For all the rah-rah hype and hoopla the hard cold facts are:

* join a Singapore outfit esp run in any way by those with SQ management-thinking and youll quickley realise your an expat whos needed but definatley not wanted.

* no mention has been made of the names of those on the Valuair board. Whats the big secret? Or will the names put people off?

* the poster "Valuair" also makes no answer to my question of what the pay and conditions will be. Again whats the big secret lah? Or his he doing a Leonard & Maurice trick with that one?

Outsiders may think a lo-cost no-frills airline in Singapore would be the same akin to the formula used by the highley (and rightley) succesfull Southwest airlines in the States, to a similar extent Virgin in the UK, and even Airasia in Malaysia. If you think it does, yep by all means join Valulah and learn lessons the hard way. If ex-SQ honchos were in no way involved I wouldve given a cautious thumbs up ("cautious" as there is no USA/UK type democracey in Singas).

And btw Mr Valuair and Mr JON, I have no interest in anything whatsoever with Singapore or its outfits so theres no personal profit nor gain for writing these posts. However I hope Ive given some people something to think about before rushing in without thinking the whole thing through. And remember you two that colectivley we are expats, and expats share information (even if unintentionaly badley spelled) wether its to your liking or not. This is PPRuNe and not the PAP's Straits Times where criticism is ridiculed and the realy hard questions rubbished, ignored or frowned upon.

[422]

TO all who think of joining a SQ related outfit must be ready to

do the time.

Promise u a hard time with low pay and lousy perks.

OF course if you're here for the lovely MALAY girls, be my guest.

I should also mention that the company is allowed to retrench as and when they like.

UNION chief called it " PRe-emptive retrenchment"

meaning anyone can get retrenched , whilst the company still

rakes in 'subtantial" profits.

(Teh TariK lah)

[swellblue]

Could VALUAIR or anyone else shed some light on who and where you should send a C.V. to ?

[jubilee773]

swellblue,

check out this thread http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=103255

Hope this is what you want.


regards,
jubilee773