Skyservice

[FLCHG]

Has Skyservice, mainline recalled all their furloughed pilots??? If so; is the mainline presently recruiting?

[Flyer34]

I think he probably means Airline...
No one was actually furloughed when it came down to the crunch (this has happened in the past and many think it was just posturing by the company during contract talks).
6 guys hired in September on the 57, none hired on the Bus. No hiring happening right now but drop a resume in there 'cause you never know in this industry.:confused:
Flyer34

[mellofello]

Anyone care to comment on starting pay at SSV? Is it true that it now takes a new hire 5 years to reach what was previously starting pay? I had heard it was in the neighbourhood of $38K. If this is true, are they still holding people to a bond as well.

[Airlifter]

Anyone care to comment on starting pay at SSV? Is it true that it now takes a new hire 5 years to reach what was previously starting pay?

It's not a secret... FO's start at $51K.

[555orange]

whoah...thats like 3 grand after tax....canadian. Wow that really sucks. Do yourself a favour and go overseas if possible. Yes there are less labour controls, and in some cities there is rampant pollution like Honkers, but getting the check you deserve and not getting ****** by business people who just LOVE to **** you because they know from experience that you are a blue collar worker who desparately needs to go through them to get anywhere else. Wow...I really hate being taken advantage of......

[phonetic]

Hmm, having grown up in Europe and presently living/flying in Canada, I'd have to say that I recommend people consider cost of living, lifestyle and personal situation before 'running away' to the promised land!

One size doesn't fit all I'm afraid.
:rolleyes:

[YYZ]

I'd agree with the above, one size never fits all.

Aviation is not just a job, it's also a lifestyle and the choices we make dictate this, I currently fly in Europe but I do have friends flying in Canada, and the cost of living is one thing that makes the difference, also, as said, lifestyle, if you have family then compared to the UK (where I am) I would say Canada is the place to be, if you're single and after cash, then Europe (UK) is the better choice....

It's all depends what the individual wants!

YYZ

[Arclite01]

Sounds like people don't like Skyservice.

I was under the impression that the company was quite a good one to work for and paid reasonable salaries.

Obviously not..................... what is the general company culture like though ?

Arc

[B757FO]

To work at the airline side of skyservice is not as bad as some may lead on. That is if you dont mind working overseas in the summer which seems to be the norm for other airlines also like sunwing. You either like it here or hate it here. Like every airline you will find both. One will say they like their lifestyle and skyservice is a good fit and others dont like it. If its 16 days off a month you want, then perhaps westjet is a better place. Its all a matter of opinion and what you want to do. I admit the entry level salaries were lowered from 61k to 51k for new hires but this is still higher than some other entry level jet jobs out their. If you are a single person who wants to fly North and South routes and fly around Europe in the summertime then it would be a good fit. But deployments are an active part of what we do here.

To answer your question though there are no furloughs.

[paidinhours]

Where in the UK are pilots based during the Summer and does the Airline provide any type of accomadation during these months?

[OneWord]

SSV bases depend on the annual deployed contract with the contractor. In the past First Choice (now TUI), MyTravel (now Thomas Cook), Khalifa, Ghana, etc have based dependent on their needs.

For the summer the consistent base was Dublin on the 757. Others have been Manchester (A330), Leeds(320), Teeside(320), East Midlands(320), Cork(320), Belfast(320), Cardiff(320), Glasgow (767), Newcastle(320), etc. The 320 population is greatly diminished in Canada and the 330 program services Ireland, the Balearics and Italy. UK basing in the past has included accommodation for the crews with a small allowance for groceries.

In the winter, flights service the Caribbean hot spots from Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec & Halifax. Most layovers are on the 757/767/A330.

If you work for SSV, you will work hard in the winter and you should expect to go to Europe in the summer. It is a difficult life style for families with older children (above Kindergarten) and a home which needs tending.

The cabin crews are good and generally expect to be laid-off during the slow summer season. Toronto has a base of permanent cabin crew.

The maintenance is excellent and backed by the best experience from all the other non-existent charters. Only certified parts are used at this Canadian charter. :} The largest complaint here is that the stock of parts held is victim to the seasonal trend of the company.

The aircraft are many and various configurations dependent entirely on the lease arrangement. Operations does well communicating the variants.

Training has been good in the past and is maturing as the cultures between C3, Roy and SSV merge with time.

The agreed time off per month is eleven days. Expect that to deteriorate in the winter from mid-Dec to mid-March. When the company wants to drive home a point they will threaten layoffs and have laid-off in the past. The shortest lay off period was 3 days in 2001.

The best candidate for this job is one who loves to go to work, doesn't like to have a pet, a child, a team sport and likes to clean weapons in the forest alone. (The last is a joke, the others are not.)

I enjoyed working at this company. You must be open minded, flexible and willing to answer the phone as it is a charter business and is always changing and adjusting to the needs of the customers. The customers are the tour operator - not the passenger, as in an airline. The routes change every six months, the flying is great and you never know what is next. This is the reason why I specify past tense in much of the information. It has happened - but could change for the next time.

Having said that - everyone adapts as best as humanly possible.

The culture among the pilots is good. They're all in it together and if one books off they know it affects a buddy negatively somewhere else. They support each-other well in most cases. The morale is low. They never know what is going to come their way next.

If you're young, this "company" is a great stepping stone for taking a job outside of Canada. There is much to experience from the company, and more to gain and learn from this excellent group of people.

[glide182]

Hi OneWorld! do you know what are the minimum requirements for F/O at SSV

[paidinhours]

Thanks One Word. Very informative post.

[OneWord]

Regarding the experience; the short answer is no, I do not. Send them an email and inquire.

pilot(underscore goes here)[email protected]

[glide182]

Thanks One Word:ok:

[ng78]

This summer, the positions with First Choice / Thomson are in DUB with the 757 and BFS with the A320. My Travel / Thomas Cook have positions overseas on the A320 in LBA, STN and BFS. Skyservice pilots participating in these programs get accommodations, cars, and excellent per diems as well. It is a very lucrative program for the pilots, but as mentioned before, it's not for everybody. It's good for young pilots without families, or perhaps those with very young children, and for empty nesters as well.

Skyservice minimum requirements are around 3,000 hours, but don't expect any hiring there until the fall. It also depends on the winter program and how much growth there may be there potentially. When applying at Skyservice, understand the business model. If going overseas during the summer does not work for you and your situation, then don't bother applying. It will only make you and those around you pretty miserable!

[J.O.]

New hire pilots are also required to accept seasonal deployments as a condition of employment.

[OneWord]

Is that not against the labour code?

[J.O.]

Absolutely not. It's against the labour code to force an employee to break the law or to engage in unsafe practices. There is no law against asking employees to work in foreign places as a part of their employment contract.