View Full Version : Air Berlin in turbulence
Not good for any Air Berlin pilot in terms of job growth prospects.
?Air Berlin cancels 787 order - 9/26/2014 - Flight Global (http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/air-berlin-cancels-787-order-404197/)
Denti
26th Sep 2014, 20:30
Not worse nor better. Air Berlin is in the process of phasing out the last boeings in favor of an all airbus fleet and apparently in that process they clean up their orderbook. The 787s were planned as replacement for the A330s anyway, so there was no real growth planned that way either, however the old A330s are pretty cheap to lease, unlike a brand new airplane.
INeedTheFull90
27th Sep 2014, 13:37
They've been in turbulence for as long as I can remember. Too many types, bases, airlines within airlines, strategies and brands.
They recently shut five bases and are finally trimming and rationalising their fleet. Now all they need to do is find out what kind of airline they are and their USP before it's too late.
Many people are sitting in the R/H seat for 16 years and longer, without any prospect for upgrade. Many captains with contracts for retirement age 60 are taking the provident fund (approx. 300000 Euro) and sueing the company at the same time to extend their contracts to age 65, occupying the few available commands.
Ipads are being introduced as EFBs on the flight deck. The bidding system still consists of pieces of cardboard with points printed on them. One has to throw the cards into a mailbox at the base. The system fits those with high seniority, so the outcome is that those who earn most, get the best flights. Conservative systems have a habit to persist.
The quality of your duty plan depends on whom you know in rostering, not on fair distribution of resources.
The selection of personnel with additional responsibilities like Senior First Officer or Simulator Flight Instructor does not depend on qualification, see the previous paragraph. On the other hand, what do you expect? The EU is leading by example.
Some fellow pilots have considerable command experience, but not on the type they are presently operating. Almost every airline hiring DECs requires PIC hours on type, fencing out all F/Os with command hours on other types. If somebody knows a company accepting PICUS hours as PIC hours I'd be grateful.
safelife
9th Oct 2014, 08:16
Germania does, but that's not what you wanted to hear I reckon.