Question On Loyalty??

[GTNav]

Just a quick question on company loyalty (which should always be a 2 way street in my book)

Say you join a company as a pilot, get an endorsement/PPC with them and then quit (in May)? Is there anyone who thinks this is the way to do business?? Great if you are the company getting the trained and PPCed person, not so good if you are doing all the training.

In Europe, where I mainly work, we get bonded and generally will not try and break the bond, is anyone doing anything like this in Canada? Is it legal? Is it moral?

I look forward to the response and what other areas of the world do.

[Left Coaster]

The only thing you need to remember...NO LOYALTY IN AVIATION EVER GOES UNPUNISHED!;)

[brucelee]

GTNav.

Not an easy answer. Depends on so many factors. Companies now-a-days are protecting themselves by having you pay for the training or having you sign something. In this case it's pretty straight forward- breaking up will cost you! If you got the job the old fashioned way, i.e. no bonds, no strings attached, be careful. At your next interview, you may have to explain it. Then again, if the next job you have is much better, why not go for it? Most companies would get rid of you in an instant if they had to. Prhaps that's the real question. What loyalty do they have towards you?
Just my two pennies worth.

[oldebloke]

There's nothing 'new' in bondage..In the 60's after the first flourish of hiring ,nearly straight from school,BOAC/BEA found that after 3years the guys were leaving the scene..So BA required the candidates to 'stay' for awhile to cover the cost of investment(training)..Today a lot of Co's ,in view of the training expense($20-30K)are expecting the same return for their investment..Westjet doesn't follow this pattern,as far as I know.(they seemed affronted when applicants 'offer' the 2/3 year stint).
At the moment the only people with no strings attatched are the 'endorsed' applicants who save the Co'training..I believe this to be an Industry'Norm'
:ok:
Some examples of bondage are 1 year for the 727,2 years required for the 757, and 3 years for the Airbus types...

[brucelee]

"At the moment the only people with no strings attatched are the 'endorsed' applicants who save the Co'training..I believe this to be an Industry'Norm'."

Air Canada and most major airlines have no strings attached but then again they don't expect many people quitting, athough a handful have recently left to "greener pastures" in the desert. When hiring begins again later this year, if hired there's nothing to sign. The company puts you on flat pay for two years so if you are stupid enough to leave, no great loss.

[rej]

I reckon that most companies now work on the premis that if you wany loyalty you should buy a dog. Economics always rules in business.

[oldebloke]

BruceLee,your absolutely right in that the "bondage' aspect only applies to the 'interrim'employers..Once a candidate was accepted by the majors very few left,and bondage was a nonissue...apart from the original BA cases..

[lostav8r]

Two comments

One, Loyalty is a two way street and many of the smaller operaters don't seem to get that..

Two, I understand the concept of bonds and why they exist. However, I just recently found myself owing the remaining $3300 of a bond through no fault of my own (company went tits up). Given that I'm far from the only person who this has happened too recently (see Skyward Aviation, Jetsgo....), I think that any money paid by a pilot for a bond should be held in trust. That way, if the pilot bolts, the company gets their money, and if the company gets mismanaged and goes tits up, the pilot gets the remainder of his bond back. Nobody gets screwed.

Cheers
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