(Freelance) Cabin Crew in South Africa

[LittleMo]

A friend of mine is busy completing her Cabin Crew licence/course and I was wondering, what is the market like for freelance cabin crew in South Africa at the moment? Where should she start looking? Any idea?

Thanks
Mo

[Lad2bfa]

Hi there,

I'm about to finish my FA course, and need to start sending out CV's etc... Can anyone give me an indication, should a opportunity present itself... which airline would be a def :ok: and which a def :=? And reasons if any? Tx guys!

;)

[Lad2bfa]

Ah, Bless Lad/Las! Tx 4 the reply :D

That's awesome news actually... I was expecting some crazy negativity, but seems not at all... and the airlines you suggested... are exactly the ones I've been eyeing... ;)

So from the lot, it seems the best would be...

*1. SAA
*2. SAX
*3. Mango

Guess, I'll start applying in that order! Hehe :} Oh yeah, did my training at cranfield

Tx 'gain 4 the reply! :};) Maybe we'll bump into each other sometime, if you're a Jo'burg local...

[luther55]

Levis I See You Did Alot Of Research I Did My Training At Qas Aswel An Obtained My Cc License Wich Is A Benefit Since Alot Of The Airlines Prefer That U Licensed Already.
Flying For A Year Now!
In This Industry There Is Always Rumours Rumours Eg:the New Saa A/c
Pay Wise Saa Pays The Best Ofcourse
How Much Will Never Be Said Here.
Good Luck Wish Here Were More Sa Cabin Crew Discusing Around Here

[luther55]

saa (cpt an jhb base)
Quest is doing there recruitment at the moment.so you will be workin for quest until saa offer you a contract.heard rumour that saa is/was looking for license crew.

Sa airlink (cpt an jhb base)
Check there webpage they normaly post it there.check paper aswel

Sa expres (cpt an jhb base)
cal there HR.they dont advertise word of mouth thing [email protected]

Mango (cpt an jhb base)
Call them or you can email it to them or you can drop your cv at the offices

1time (cpt an jhb base)
[email protected] check the web site for details

Comair kulula an ba (jhb base only)
[email protected]
They normaly advertise in jozi papers

I think levis already mentioned what ur cv should include eg the photo etc
I think thats it all of the airlines.

[luther55]

NOW SOME NICE CHAP SHOULD JUST POST CHARTER COMPANY DETAILS AN WHO IS THE BEST TO WORK FOR CONDITIONS ETC.
Levis you got the pay scale bit wrong tho.
Whats with no 1 posting if over 500 people viewed

[yaletown]

I mean no offense when I ask this, but if you are white, is it safe to assume that you cannot get hired in South Africa as cabin crew? I just assummed that SAA pushed out all the former crew, prior to 2000. I have thought of moving to SA, but just assumed that it would be impossible to get work there.

[luther55]

well it doesnt hurt to try:ok:

[yaletown]

Is that a yes or a no..lol?

[luther55]

go for it!

[yaletown]

There is karma, there is negative energy, and then there is reality:

SAA shortage ups accident fears (http://neultra.*************/2008/08/saa-shortage-ups-accident-fears.html)


from News24
Aug 18 2008 3:38PM
Jan de Lange

Johannesburg - A skills shortage at SAA Technical, which for decades was one of the most outstanding technical centres in Africa, has increased to the extent that its aviation safety standards have been brought into question.

The US' Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the South African Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) silently warned SAA about the issue in February and March this year.

Its technical division has not met the skills prerequisites for the maintenance work on the passenger jets that it is responsible for.

Last week, two former senior managers at SAA Technical's two most strategic workshops told Sake24 that they resigned following decades of service as they could no longer "live with their consciences".

The decline in technical standards owing to the shortage of trained staff had become "too serious" for them.

According to CAA CEO Colin Jordaan, the FAA and CAA's warnings resulted in SAA giving an undertaking that it will embark on an intensive drive to find technicians.

"SAA undertook to rather outsource work than compromise safety," said Jordaan.

Since then, however, standards have worsened rather than improved.

For the first time ever, SAA in June outsourced maintenance work on an Airbus A340-200 to Taeco, a company based in Xiamen on the east coast of China.

The aircraft returned to South Africa two weeks ago with 41 maintenance points which Taeco could not repair.

One of these was a rusted cross-beam on the aircraft frame under the kitchen and toilet passages.

Deon Wessels, a former manager of non-destructive inspections (NDI), resigned in November last year as he felt he could no longer be held accountable for the work done by that division.

SAA Technical is expected to have 19 senior NDI inspectors on its staff but currently, there are only six.

Of these, only three have the minimum requirement of six years practical experience, although all six passed their theoretical courses.

"An aircraft will fall owing to this. I guarantee this," Wessels told Sake24 last week."

He was previously the most experienced and most highly qualified NDI inspector at SAA Technical and worked for the airline for 26 years.


********

This is why airlines like Delta are making a fortune on their routes there and rumours of another North American Star Alliance member replacing SAA on the transatlantic routes. Levis, I am not putting anyone down and I think one of the big reasons things are falling by the wayside where airlines like SAA are concerned is because rather than listening, and learning from people all over the world who are experienced in the airline industry, there are people who immediately put the hand up and don't listen, pegging it to racism, negativity etc. I think you need to understand that we North Americans were very exicted in 1994, but now we are scared to even go there. This cannot be good for SA's economy. Things need to shape up and fly right, or the future may be....'negative' and full of bad karma.

[TL3B]

you read too much.anyway just a thought for you.who do you think does the maintenance for kulula,ba (comair) an mango sax...mmm thats right SAAT.I GUES THAT LEAVES 1TIME WHO HAS ITS OWN MAINTENANCE DEVISION AERONEXUS.
To LEVIS here is the ranks for the best or pay wise or whatever you call it.
1.saa
2.sax
3.comair
4.1time
5.mango
6.airlink

[yaletown]

Exactly...and that being the case, do you not think British Airways will not relook at their franchise with Comair at some point? When people book on BA they do so with confidence, not assuming some engineer in Jo'burg is careless or not skilled enough to do the job he is in. There have been some major fatal crashes in this world because of bad maintenance or engineers who do not know what they are doing. When I was with BA issues rose with Air Zimbabwe back in the 90's; we used to position on them to LUN from HRE. We were suddenly forbidden to fly on them, even for staff travel, due to maintenance issues. Having the FAA and the CAA quietly approach them, is not a good thing at all. That could lead to progressive banning of them flying into a lot of overseas destinations, which would ultimately lead to their demise. Do you honestly think Americans would fly SAA, knowing about that rusted cross beam in that A340. That piece could have weakened and caused structural failure in flight. As crews there, I would be freaked out knowing I may be flying on my own coffin! If that happenned here in Canada, the US, or Europe, a lot of people would be fired over that!

Read too much? Is there something wrong with seeking knowledge? Yikes. This is not supporting your cause of skilled and certified airline workers in South Africa..lol. You always research companies' good and bad points to form an educated assessment of them. Call me crazy, but that is what I learned at University.

Airline school 101: Safety is the number one factor in people choosing to fly an airline. You lose safety, you lose the airline! lol Learned that the first day of training at my first airline..and guess what, that has not changed.

[TL3B]

what i meant was you should take the media with a pinch of salt.happy with my cofin lol.standard ops at al time mate.we have never taken off if there is a fault.they definately losing skills.

[yaletown]

That is good...but that A340 was flying around with that rusted cross beam for months..lol Pilots cannot see that on a walk around.

[Brandley]

how is life in Qas cause i am thinking of joining them early next year because that could improve my chances of getting a flight crew job:)