Avianca employment

[gjuan]

hey guys, I know these questions are getting old, bit I'm a bit new to this forum, and I had a couple of questions. I am currently a First Officer for a regional airline in the northeastern United States. I was born in Colombia and have been toying with the idea of being employed by Avianca Airlines. I am not sure what the current situation in Colombia or Avianca is, and it has been a bit difficult finding any contacts in Avianca that would lead me to my answer of weather or not I had a shot at getting a flying job there. I would be extremely gratified to hear if there are opportunities there. My Spanish is fluent, so luckily that would not be an obstacle. I would appreciate any information. thank you.

[gjuan]

1300 tt, 1000 multi, 600 turbine...not quit as competetive I know, but there it is if it helps any.....

[Panama Jack]

The Human Resources website for Avianca seems to be:

http://www.elempleo.com/sitios_empresariales/Avianca/


Suerte!

[gjuan]

do you know where their minimums might be posted, or somwhere i could send a resume to?
gracias

[Panama Jack]

gjuan. I think more than just meeting minimums and qualification, it is important for you to do some networking within Colombian aviation and Avianca if you desire to work for them. This will also be helpful then in you getting the information you require, as well as the possible interview. I am not Colombian and my knowledge of Colombia is restricted to having a few Colombian friends and having gone on vacation there over 10 years ago, however, the Colombian aviation community, like most other Latin American aviation communities, appears to be a small one where knowing people helps.

Don't know anybody in Colombian aviation? Maybe next time you visit family in Colombia, book on Avianca instead of American and see if you can talk to the flight deck crew before or after the flight when you are not busy. Maybe through your regional airline you even have ID90 privledges with Avianca-- the trip alone might be worth the few dollars in terms of possible friendships made.

For other ideas on how to network in Colombia (or anywhere else), I highly recommend this book: Job Hunting for Pilots (http://www.paperjet.net/books.php#job)

Good luck and let us know if you get in! :ok:

[gjuan]

hey thanks much for the info, i think i have some possible contacts and leads that im going to pursue here shortly, ill keep you posted!

[felo]

gjuan. I think more than just meeting minimums and qualification, it is important for you to do some networking within Colombian aviation and Avianca if you desire to work for them. This will also be helpful then in you getting the information you require, as well as the possible interview. I am not Colombian and my knowledge of Colombia is restricted to having a few Colombian friends and having gone on vacation there over 10 years ago, however, the Colombian aviation community, like most other Latin American aviation communities, appears to be a small one where knowing people helps.

Don't know anybody in Colombian aviation? Maybe next time you visit family in Colombia, book on Avianca instead of American and see if you can talk to the flight deck crew before or after the flight when you are not busy. Maybe through your regional airline you even have ID90 privledges with Avianca-- the trip alone might be worth the few dollars in terms of possible friendships made.

For other ideas on how to network in Colombia (or anywhere else), I highly recommend this book: Job Hunting for Pilots (http://www.paperjet.net/books.php#job)

Good luck and let us know if you get in! :ok:

gjuan well avianca is hiring pilots,200 total time and not many requierments,huge airline expansion,give it a try,nothing to lose and much to gain...all you nead is a colombian cpl with a twin engine type.
avianca does not pay good money but it can be a qood opportunity.
hiring on january and feb 2007
good luck

[felo]

hola gjuan
avianca is hiring pilots with almost no experiece..
requirements :colmbian passport, colombian cpl ,200 hrs total time, multiengine type
not hard to get in , money not very good but a good opportunity.
Avianca is on a huge expansion ,new planes,and routes.
dont miss this chance
they should be hiring on jan and feb 2007 ,probably more during the year.
good luck :O

[gjuan]

hey thanks felo that sounds great!

...money not very good..." -->any better than fo pay at a regional? lol..i hope so.....:ugh:

[GlueBall]

. . . but don't forget that you'll be paid in pesos :ooh:

[Azzurri]

Yeah but think of all the Colombian women...

[elgringo]

I was hired by Avianca in 1992. I had an ATP, 2400hrs, 1200 ME, no tubine time. I had been a CFI and 135 freight dog.

I was hired right into the MD-83 and flew it for 5 years. I then went t the 757/767. Pay at the time on the MD was about 12000US and on the 767 after 7 years was 18000US. No, not a month, a year. I know what your thinking "its cheaper in Colombia"..well a VW Golf at the time cost 24000US.

I then went to US Airways, lost my job after 9/11. I am now at Cathay Pacific pushing 140,000 a year after 4 years. I work 12 days a month flying the 747-400.

All I can say is the experience at Avianca got me where I am today. I am glad I left. I was born and raised in the US. I lived here for 26 years. Living in Colombia is tough. I would never want to have/raise my family in Colombia.

If you want my advice, I am pretty sure you could get hired at Cathay as a second officer with your experience.

Good luck...

[Pilocol]

Been there, done that, got the T shirt ..:cool:
Now in the M.E.
With your experience, stay far away from Colombia....I'm also a Local, but :confused: it is no adventage and a waste of time.
Leave it for the ones that are coming out of Guaymaral ...

All the companies in the Middle East are looking for people like you, and the $$$ will be way better....belive me ... :E

If you feel the itch for the mother country .... scrach it away and go the other direction ...
Hope you got the message..:cool:

[gjuan]

thanks for all the advice guys, I've been away for a while doing my own research, and things are not as good as I had hoped. Apperantly, they hire you after you go through ground school, and make you pay for the training. I have a relative who has retired from there and told me that things were way better a few years back.

I appreciate everyone's input. I guess my itch is to go bigger and better. My temporary problem here in the states is my age. I am only 19, and am working on my degree online, and would not mind going to another country to do some flying. For the time being I am going to continue my course here and maybe even move on to an RJ regional and move on to heavy metal with time.

I've looked into Cathay, how do i go about going there?

[Pilocol]

gjuan ...

That is easy ... go to ....cathaypacific.com .... and look at tho bottom of the page .... CARREERS ... it will gide you... good luck ...

Keep it safe ..:cool:

[gjuan]

great!...i have looked into cathay..great company from the looks of it. i guess my question is if it is PFT there??
How long is the upgrade SO to FO?
I guess i should go the asian section for this huh :bored:

[Panama Jack]

Actually, all the answers are somewhere there in the Fragrant Harbour (http://www.pprune.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=19) and the Fragrant Harbour Wannabe (http://www.pprune.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=99) forum. Hint: Try the Search function for any of the questions in your mind before you start firing away. :ok:

[gjuan]

:\
sorry ...i thought i would get a quick easy answer while i was still ahead...great info guys... thanks for all your help! :ok:

[FlyRules]

FLY EMIRATES! :ok:

[Panama Jack]

Sure FlyRules

And seeing as interest in Emirates is drying up and they are having more trouble finding people to fly their airplanes, pretty soon they will probably have to drop their minimums to accommodate people with 1300 tt, 1000 multi, 600 turbine.

Smart ass. :rolleyes:

[allatp]

ElGringo, hello there!!

Have you met Paul Rodriguez Sardi? He used to fly for AVianca and then went to Cathay. I've been trying to get a hold of him for quite some time.

Cheers

AA

[pablomedellin]

hi i used to be a flight attendant for avianca and sam from 1990 to 1992 i've met a lot of people there currently i am attending mount saint antonio college in san bernardino california and next year i will finish my flight training with only 250 hrs tt of course i was born in colombia i was educated there and i have been in the united states since 1995 do you think they would prefer pilots from guaymaral with litle training as opossed to someone who trained in the united states ?

[Desert_Storm]

Hi Allatp!

You can contact paul on this e-mail address: [email protected].

Cheers!

[allatp]

Pablomedellin.
If you encounter any trouble joining Avianca, you can always try with Aires. I know that Aires have hired FOs above their 40s.
Good luck!!!!!!

AA

[allatp]

DesertStorm,
Thanks a lot for the info, take care.

Cheers!!!!!!!!

AA

[pablomedellin]

thank you very much for the info i did not know AIRES had that kind of policy i guess there is always an opportunity for people like me with very little experience i know i am not in my 20's anymore but at leats if i can get a taste of what is like for a while i will be happy with that .. on the other hand for those of you who want to fly for AVIANCA LET ME TELL YOU that as far as experience it is a great experience , but like one of our fellow pilots said thet working environment is a disgrace some old school pilots still think we are in the era of the 1800's were we had slaves and all that , when i was working there as a flight attendant my working experience with a lot of pilots were good but at the same time i could see some things i did not like for example CRM did not exist and i believe despite of the fact that most of the pilots now have been through some sort of training still is an ISSUE , at the time also most of the new pilots were family related to other pilots who send their sons or daughters to a local flight school and the knowledge of ENGLIGH was very poor it was kind of funy some flight attendants spoke more english than the pilots the benefits were good MEDICAL,DENTAL,VISION however live in colombia is like live in the U.S.A eveything is expensive unless like me you have relatives or a house you got to have some decent money to start , now to get into the airline for me was easy because i knew at the time someone who was very good friends with the president of AVIANCA now evething is not about how much experience you have flying is who you know at least in COLOMBIA here in the US is difficult because here they apply the full extent of the law there is easier in a lot of things if you can get the right connections and the right people it is sad to know that there is not a pilot union anymore when i was flying i was based in BARRANQUILLA it was like a family small base at the time i met a fella name THOMAS JONUSAS COLOMBIAN AMERICAN very nice guy also the other old school , captains one of them was arrested in BOGOTA with possesion of some Kilos he was a 747-200 instructor i also used to work for SAM there i met ALGIS VISNIESKAS great fella and in 1993 may you remember the HK-2422 a Boeing 727-100 that crashed in the Abejorral mountain 132 people killed i flew in that plane to GUATEMALA a week before with same flight engineer and I remember we were drinking whiskey and our theme of conversation was aircraft accidents unfortunately also safety is a concern some pilots were coming out of the gate with some maintenance issues since we were not regulated by FAA people made fun of this things anyways that was my experience i hope this will be of help i am not saying do not go i say if you are young , do not know the language and want to try send everything to hell and try , it is the perfect place for everything because people in colombia are warm and believe me even if you are a total stranger , people will be like family .

[csp(ex-cmx)]

Hi to all,

Well... people talks a lot and most of the times from frustation, Avianca is one of the best airlines in the region, and its standars are well above the average in the world, I would sugest that if any of you has the chance to fly there, do not even think, just grab it.
I would like to know one airline without as:mad:es among the captains and/or copilots :}:}:}.
The money is not the best, but look around first and put in a balance: the fleet, the experience to get, the good will, etc, and then make your choice.
Good luck to the ones with chances, and my deepest condolences to the rest.
For the record I do not fly with Avianca.

[pablomedellin]

Hi storm in those 14 years that you flew for AVA where you based in Bogota ? did you get to meet some pilots from barranquilla ? i'd like to know if you are from that group of first officers graduated in 1990 or 1991something like that , at the time ava still had the Boeing 727-100 , 727-200 , 707, 747 and they were just making negotiations to lease or purchase the md-83 .is good to know what all these guys are doing with their lives ,how did they call you , because you know in ava everyone has names no offense to you of course ..and how are you doing now that you fly for the emirates ? besides the pay .

also for those of you out there who are interested to fly in Colombia AIRES is hiring first officers this is the website :http://www.aires.com.co/website/conContenido.aspx?o85DnHkOS2xepLTDYX4bDYV88JMBU%2bog
PILOTOS – COPILOTOSPiloto Comercial con Licencia Vigente en Airbus A-320, Dash-8 100/200/300/400. Indispensable Visa Americana vigente.

[csp(ex-cmx)]

I said: I do not fly for Avianca(present time), I did not said: I never flew for Avianca(past time). And in fact I did, thats why I know what I am saying, and your reply just confirms my point.
Sorry for your own bad experince, but many others had a very positive and constructive one.
But right now you are having what you wanted, so "may be" those years were not wasted at the end, and helped to put you where you are...................

[csp(ex-cmx)]

Desert_storm:
It is time for me to stop answering your smart arguments :ugh:. When it comes to low education comments it is better to leave.........:D
Last thing, I left the company for other reasons(country security) than the airline itself, and I am not going back because I am making a very good living where I am, Europe is fantastic.
Better luck with your present employer.....

[pablomedellin]

yeah my friend my e-mail is [email protected]

thank's bud

[memphx]

The original post is a few years old but I have been interested in working for them for a little while. I would love to move there and get the experience. I have about 1100 hrs 750 PIC and I'm just wondering:
1) Are they hiring now in 2010?
2) Is it possible to work for them even if you don't have the Colombian citizenship or passport? I am a US citizen born and raised.

Your answers and feedback would be invaluable.

Thanks,

Memphx

[Hunter58]

Do you speak fluent Spanish? it is an absolute requirement otherwise you will have trouble to keep in the flow.

As far as I know they have some Spanisch and US FOs nowadays. Everybody I know is relatively hapy with the work conditions and some people who left apparently have come back.

[memphx]

Yeah I know Spanish, but I don't use it so much anymore so it would take a few months to get back to being actually fluent.

[AVApilot]

Memphx,

please don't waste your time coming to Avianca, now that it has merged with TACA things are only going to get worse, the new VP of Operations is none other than Captain Julian Jacome, you may not know who he is but he is the guy who will take everything away from pilots, he's a bad manager and a worse pilot, don't come here, save yourself the humiliation from idiots like the ones running avianca these days, unfortunatelly avianca is a wreck waiting to happen.

I work there feel free to PM anytime if you need more info

[Gusz]

Hi to all!
Avianca is currently Hiring, but then again is WHO you know on the inside.
I do not work for Avianca. the airline is great, from a passanger point of view,nice a/c, nice people, flight attendants,ground service.. etc.. BUT
from a pilot looking for employment point of view.. not so much.
*9 days off per month, management is pushing hard to make it 7 days off a month, with 110 hrs a month.
*there's no bidding system
*even if you're the most senior guy on property.. gues what.... 9 days off.
*no real Union...
*there's retired pilots flying the line, earning 2 salaries, while the new hire makes... you guess it...
*fast career advancement
*Lots of a$$ kissing..
*Old school crusty captain's.

disclaimer:
not looking for a job right now, turned down several years ago when I was recently graduated from flight school. just the facts, from conversations with my dear friends that are waiting for a chance to get out of there..
not trying to put down avianca.. just info for the guys that are looking (desperate) for a job in colombia.

[Desert_Storm]

Memphx,

please don't waste your time coming to Avianca, now that it has merged with TACA things are only going to get worse, the new VP of Operations is none other than Captain Julian Jacome, you may not know who he is but he is the guy who will take everything away from pilots, he's a bad manager and a worse pilot, don't come here, save yourself the humiliation from idiots like the ones running avianca these days, unfortunatelly avianca is a wreck waiting to happen.

It's sad to see that nothing has changed in Avianca. Nevertheless, is astonishing to see the career progression of Cap. J. Jacome. From almost wrecking an MD-83 at Rionegro Airport, to the 767 Chief Pilot desk and now, VP Flight Operation, wow, not bad. And some people think the pastusos are idiots jejejeje. Well, Korean and Asiana still think they are (idiots) and it's worth noting that he and his very mediocre brother in law (el calvete) were never able to make it at Asiana, Korean and every single carrier they tried in the past. What a bunch of ass@#$% Avianca has in top positions: J.Jacome, O. Calvo, R. Ferreira, C. Sinisterra and never forget the notorious J. Barreto. A dream team I would say. Brace people!!!! :yuk::yuk::yuk: