OpenSkies recruiting rated & non-rated B757 FO/SFOs

[hollingworthp]

B757 First Officers - Paris - 1400933761 - Flight Jobs (http://www.flightglobal.com/jobs/job/b757-first-officers-paris-france-1400933761.htm)

B757 First Officers (Paris based)

Openskies is the only airline to offer business class only travel at a great rate between Paris - New York and Paris – Washington DC. It’s the perfect combination of refinement, simplicity, high standards, and the best value for money

Type-rated or Non-type-rated pilots
A minimum of 4000 hours total flying time
A minimum of 2000 hours multi-crew / multi-engine glass-cockpit jet aircraft
Must hold a valid and unrestricted JAA ATPL
Unrestricted, current class I medical
Experience commensurate with age
English language fluency essential
French language knowledge would be advantageous

To express your interest with OpenSkies, please send your CV and cover letter via the 'Apply Now' button. No phone call please!

Our flight Operations Recruitment team will review your application and make contact with you should there be interest in further evaluation of your application

[Dr Esteban]

Dear all,

Could anyone provide me with the following information on OpenSkies?

- Current application process.
- Up to date T&Cs (is PPJN still accurate?)
- According to PPJN OpenSkies crew bases are ORY/BRU/AMS/LHR, is this correct?
- Rostering/days off/leave etc.
- Atmosphere/company culture.
- Future expansion plans/fleet planning?
- Does a gentleman's agreement exist between OpenSkies and BA with regards to recruitment?

Thank you in advance.

[Iver]

Nice airplane, but I am thinking that flying would get a bit boring after awhile....

[little-paddy]

I am puzzled....but that happens alot.

Why is the advert divided up between F/O's and SFO's and yet there is no differential with required hours? Does anyone know the distinction between the two and if there is a seniority list? Are there direct entry commands given?

[Niall Toibin II]

Hi, here are some answers to the above questions

- Up to date T&Cs

Only French contracts on offer, no more British Airways European (BAEL) Contracts. This means new joiner’s need accommodation in Paris as no positioning or hotel is paid on this contract and commuting is not easy or cheap to Orly. Under French rules, after each transatlantic crossing you need 36 hrs off (two local nights), this at your cost! Original BAEL pilots can fly back to backs (two transatlantic rotations separated by one local night in BA parlance) They mostly work 6 days on 5 days off with hotac and positioning paid for by BAEL.

On a French contract you get one block of 4 rostered days off a month, YES, just 4 rostered days off a month!! In addition you may get up to 5 additional ‘white’ days per month, i.e., blanks on the roster which you may or may not have to work at long or short notice. These are not counted as days off until the day!! The white days depend on sickness, and a constantly changing ad-hoc charter program. It’s difficult to plan much other than for the 4 day block off. You can get lucky with the white days. If you’re living in Paris it works ok, hopeless if your trying to get home elsewhere after a flight.

Non French nationals on the French contract will have to pay French tax and pension contribution. It’s a great pension provided you pay into it for 15 years!! Otherwise you lose the lot when you stop working in France and it’s of no benefit outside France. You will probably also need to keep your own contributions going in most other EU states - you need to check.

- According to PPJN Open Skies crew bases are ORY/BRU/AMS/LHR, is this correct?

No, only one base on French Contract – ORY.

BAEL pilots remain based in LHR/AMS/BRU. This gets around the French rules preventing back to backs and gives the company more flexibility. How long it lasts is anybody’s guess. The French unions want it stopped and the Fench Goverment want theseguys paying French Tax. EZY, RYR and City Jet all ran into this issue.


- Rostering/days off/leave etc.

Roster is issued on the 15th of each month for the next month. So by the 14th of each month you only have two weeks of a roster. As mentioned above, you get 4 rostered days off a month. The remaining days off are white days (blank days on roster) you may or may not get used. You might average 4 days off and 5 unused blank days a month if your lucky but the distribution (a day here and a day there) makes commuting very difficult and expensive. Realistically you are going to have to live in Paris most of the time although some manage to commute same day up from the South of France - Oh and the main reason you get phoned on white days(excluding pop up charters) is when there are no shows caused by late trains, tech commuter flights or foggy airports!!

- Atmosphere/company culture.

Tough going for everyone with some very big most merger issues going on.

Sorry to the guys looking for work but the question was asked. Its really down to BAEL pilots and L’avion pilots fighting each other and the company. Both are on different T&C’s and roster arrangements as well as a massive pay differential. At least 1000 Euros or more a month less for French contract for the same job and no hotac/travel allowance. Understandable animosity among mixed operating crews - this has caused a number of CRM issues. Silence can be golden!!

On the ground, rostering is planned by Ex L’avion staff so there is a constant suspicion of favoritism. BAEL pilots all worked last Christmas, not a single French Contract pilot to be seen!! That kind of stuff. It really is a big mess.

With mainline crews joining soon, see below, it is set to get worse; three pilot groups, BA Mainline, BA European, Ex L’avion, all on different deals, all flying together!! This is all the result of the disastrously planned merger and integration and shows no sign of improvement.

Another factor which hasn't helped is the recent appointment of a new Director of Operations who is an ex Ryanair manager. Pre merger Open Skies was almost a mirror of BA. Sensible, calm, nice place to work. Now it’s a mirror of Ryanair and run with exactly that well reported style of management – very much a blame culture. Open Skies have also adopted Ryanair’s SOP’s, almost word for word according to some that have worked there and this has caused uproar among all the pilot factions within the company. In fact the only common ground among the crews is a universal loathing of this new kind of management style.

- Future expansion plans/fleet planning?

Rumors of a Montreal service from ORY next Spring??

Under BALPA/BA rules BA mainline can and will be supplying up to 25% of the Open Skies captains, just like at GSS. Some sixty BA SFO’s have recently applied for DE Commands so a very long time to command expected, probably 4 to 5 years minimum for new joiners.

On the subject of Command, the pass rate is low. OS have just run an assessment program with some very interesting feedback. Out of 12 applicants just 2 passed the assessment! It’s a very old fashioned sim sesion according to those that have been through it. Very much in the spirit of throw everything at the bloke and see how long it takes him to fall over, then choose the guy that lasted longest!! Not nice by all accounts!! Makes you wonder how many will actually pass the course, but thats for another post!!

- Does a gentleman's agreement exist between Open Skies and BA with regards to recruitment?

No – far from it… Check out the BALPA bust up with the BA over Open Skies initial Pilot reruitment. Its unlikely BA will take OS pilots- too much resentment within main line but this may change with the pending influx of BA Captains.

To summarize, the recruitment process is heavily weighed in favor of locally residing pilots with a command of the French language. The adver states French Language usful but since all the manuals, communication is in English its odd why they would put that in the add. With the influx of BA mainliner pilots there is likely to be a desire to keep the Anglo French balance weighed in the appropriate direction!!

The flying itself is ok, easy but can be tedious with just two destinations. Our ‘senior citizen skippers’ love it though!!

In summary, if you have a job, stay put. If you dont, give it your best shot.

Hope this is of use, good luck...
:ok:

[Birdy767]

Sounds great... :}

[Iver]

Great post NTII.

Tough to hear about the infighting amongst the pilot groups but certainly not surprising. Flying with mixed crews must be difficult at times. The former Ryanair manager sounds like a real buzzkill.

One thing I will say that is undeniable from my perspective: your operation has some of the most attractive flight attendants I have ever seen.... Those layovers must be fun (despite getting monotonous after awhile).

[SkyRocket10]

NT- I think you will find the BA/Balpa agreement is for 50% (as per GSS) of all new OS commands to go to BA mainline pilots. The L'avion deal has complicated matters somewhat given OS now operate under a French AOC, however the BACC is currently thrashing out the fine details. I understand OS management did put up a bit of a fight, but with the full backing of WW the first mainline pilots should be joining soon.
There is definitely no recipricol agreement and I don't ever see this changing.

[Birdy767]

Are those BA mainline pilots the ones who struck against Openskies a few months ago?

"The company will use this poorer-paid pilot force as a Trojan horse to beat down the pay and conditions of its current pilot employees," BALPA General Secretary Jim McAuslan told a meeting of BA pilots at London Heathrow. "We want all pilots in BA and this subsidiary to be part of one BA pilot workforce. BA planes must be flown by BA pilots. We are going to learn the lessons of other airlines and we are determined to stop the outsourcing of our jobs."

That's gonna be fun BIG time... :ok:

[SkyRocket10]

The whole reason this secondment clause was added was to protect mainline jobs to some extent. If as originally suspected BA were to use OS to expand, mainline pilots would at least be entitled to a good percentage of the commands. Out of 3000 odd mainline pilots I think only a handful have bid for these OS positions so I don't believe this will ever be a popular option.

[Crosswind Limit]

Sounds like a complicated and expensive way to operate with the various contracts. I wonder does Openskies have to pay the BA mainline/BA Euorpean salaries & extras aswell as the positioning and hotac? Unfair if WW keeps waving his profit cane at Openskies while expecting you to operate with the expensive staff.
I would have thought BA mainline FOs would jump at the chance for early promotion. I presume they would reserve the right to return to LHR/LGW should Openskies fail.

[victim]

Have just looked through my last 4 months rosters and I have averaged approx 7/8 days work followed by 2/3 days off. Plus the 4 LDO's. TP Is rather optimistic with 6 on 5 off!!
Good luck if you choose to apply!