SAS Dash 8 Q400s - Questions

[LVL CHG]

I have a few questions about SAS Q400s:

1. Are they flown by mainline SAS pilots or by SAS commuter pilots?

2. Where are the Q400 pilot bases?

3. Having read that Flybe just picked up 6 ex-SAS Q400 pilots, are many pilots leaving SAS (or SAS Commuter) at the moment?

4. For those who fly the Q400 for SAS, do you enjoy the Q400 and the routes you fly?


Cheers

[pharmair]

Being a mainline pilot myself, I don't fly the Q400, but I'll try to answer to the best of my knowledge.....

1. The Q400 is flown by Commuter pilots, however due to our common seniority list a few mainline FO's are Commanders on the Q400. In addition, approx. 60 mainline pilots fly the Q400 and F50 with SC due to layoffs at mainline.

2. The Q400 bases are Copenhagen and Stockholm.

3. So far, around 360 pilots have been laid off from SA/SC,
with our management planning on laying off another 200 in February 2004 + 140 surplus positions taken care of by leave of absence and part time by the pilots......On top of that, the plans for lay-offs for 2005 will come out at the end of January. Not a swell situation these days....

4. As far as I know, the Q400 is quite popular, now that most of the initial snags have been taken care of.