Avion Express unilaterally changes Pseudo Contract while old one in force

[ZorroA3ZZ]

Avion Express hires you with a Malta contract from a different company. The pay is 5000 +35 h CPT and 2500 + 20h FO. 6 month contract and no taxes paid. 7 days off net. You are promised 100 hrs, but in the 2015 summer this never happened. The hours were rather low, in the 60's. Lot's of time off in outstation and many standbys that are not paid and completely useless.

After a few months an email is received that the commuting is included in the off days, so the off days have really become 5.

After a few more months a mail is received that "starting tomorrow" pilots have a different contract, due to company needs and that now the pay is Power by the hour, which means paid per day when you work. The old virtual contract remains signed but a new one that nobody has seen or signed is in effect. No clarifications are sent, nobody knows what is going on. The requested or promised bases are seldomly given and one ends up living in a place different from the one he applied for. The company keeps pushing for 6 to 8 weeks consecutive days overseas, but the initial agreement is 3-1 Europe and 4-2 overseas. Nobody communicates and any mail with questions or requests usually goes unanswered. Caution! With a power by the hour the pay can get so low it can bankrupt a pilot. Since no minimum is guaranteed and the promises not kept , you are likely to spend 6 weeks on an island and make very little money, to the point of living on your savings.
Finally the new contract arrives for signature. With a different company not Avion. No days off are stated, no base in stated, nothing about positioning ticket payment . You do not know how much time you will be away from home. Now we have 2 contracts virtually signed over the Internet.
On a positive note, the other Pilots including those in management positions are nice people, but the management is a cheap dictatorship. Pilots are hard working professionals, are not respected by Avion and considered expendable cheap labor to be treated as such. CRM has taken a hard hit due to this behavior. Thank god aviation is picking up again and there other jobs. Make your choices wisely.

[South Prince]

it is a prompt you need to start getting yourself another job before left grounded anyway.

[Southpole]

sorry to hear that, but it just confirm my opinion to AVOID east europe pseudo companies... west europe low costs looks like legacy Airlines compared to them.


if you can just leave, get your money and the very next day, leave.

[EDA]

Quote from their website: "In 2013 Avion Express successfully passed the IATA Operational Safety Audit and consequently obtained IOSA registration."

Great job IOSA auditors... Your audit checklist is very nice and all about safety and compliance. Except when it comes to pilot/cabin crew contracts and conditions you are not that demanding anymore... Very high standard indeed...

[captplaystation]

Sounds like you need to update & widely circulate your C.V.

[ZorroA3ZZ]

Hello again,

with the new atypical contract power by the hour (Zero-0 base salary), a FO flying 80 hrs makes aprox 3000 E before taxes (gross) and lives very far away from home for a very long time. But you never fly that much. Last year people flew very little and had to live off their savings, parents etc... Say you fly 40 hrs (which happens easily) it would be a disaster and if you get an AOG or any other inconvenience for a few days you are in trouble.

Happy and well paid landings.

[ZorroA3ZZ]

IF they would pay a real salary and give more days off with good rostering , it would be a great company. But the upper management needs to understand this.
Maintenance and training is good.

[MD80rookie]

Not surprised at all!

Haven't worked for them, but I know guys that have and nobody stayed for long.

Leave a.s.a.p.

Rookie

[The Dominican]

You need to be aware of what Avion Express is doing with their "flag of convenience" certificate based in the Dominican Republic, a so called airline named Dominican Wings...., this certificate will be used to operate charters in the Middle East with "HI" registered A/C's and pilots earning way less than those figures you mentioned......! Looks like not only they want to change your conditions but also trying to funnel work to this flag of convenience operation.

[ZorroA3ZZ]

Pilots not signing are being told they will not be renewed for winter. A man's got to do what a man's got to! CV 's are out!

[socrates]

With things looking brighter at the moment, this is an incredibly crass move by those in charge of things at Avion. I can't call them management as this is clearly mis-management.

It may only be a matter of time before they will need to seriously re-think this action, by which time it may be too late.

Coupled with their very poor record when operating for TCX in the UK, Avion may end up in some difficulty next year and will only have themselves to blame.

[ZorroA3ZZ]

In fact a lot of Avion Pilots are being fired tonight. But now they are mad too.
With what state of mind will those people fly in the next few days?

[RAT 5]

Who is their oversight regulator. Perhaps a word in the correct ear? Or are they part of the problem by having blind eyes and deaf ears?

[754647]

Avion does not have a poor record for TCX, neither this year nor the last. This accusation is completely false.

[socrates]

Avion does not have a poor record for TCX, neither this year nor the last. This accusation is completely false.


I beg to differ, having heard from first hand experience the debacle that happened at CWL. I will not go into details, however, do explain why they have been replaced by SmartLynx this year at CWL.

I note you have posted 1 entry only - why leap to Avions' defence, when the truth speaks much louder?

[CaptainProp]

I just read this:

Pegasus Airlines is looking for B737/A320 Captains (http://www.latestpilotjobs.com/jobs/view/id/4893.html)

Average monthly salary starting from 25.000 TL (net) (approx. 7.670 €)

.....and thought to myself, and they can keep on looking with that salary.

Having read this thread though it almost seems like a good gig!! And so the spiral continues...

Good luck!

[Smokie]

Not quite sure why but this year Avion swapped with SLX, CWL for NCL and vicky versa.....

[754647]

Don´t know what debacle you are talking about in CWL. As far as I know that 1st year operation worked good, so good that they brought Avion back again this year with additional aircraft. 2 units working this season, 1 in MAN and 1 in NCL. Aircraft reliability is good and TCX has no complaints.

[ZorroA3ZZ]

That the pilots and maintenance are good safe and punctual professionals we already know, that is not the issue. The hands on working staff is just fine. As far as Avion's commercial issues,I abstain from making comments, but see full planes that fly.

It's the upper management that is making life extremely difficult on a financial and trust level. The money we agreed on was already bad, now it's less, sign here backdated, or you are fired. Then you are actually fired and the next day you get the old contract back to sign that u just refused. What do you call this? Is this serious? Professional? This is what this post is about. Stressed pilots who are forced to change a contract that isn't even finished for a hunger loan. It's about integrity! I want to fly in peace without being stressed knowing , that what is said is valid. No games.

Of course now everybody is looking for a new job now both the affected people and even those who are not, because now they know what the management is capable of.

[Southpole]

Well said Zorro.

[TShan1]

I can't comment on the pilot ops/contracts, but having flown to and from Antalya on a TCX/Avion Express flight this week I can honestly say I'd rather walk.


Fair play, we got there and back safely and that's always the aim, but comfortable and friendly it was not.


To be avoided as a passenger and as a pilot. Not looking good, is it!

[South Prince]

No worry guys, they will always find someone to work for less and less until...

[socrates]

No worry guys, they will always find someone to work for less and less until...

.. they start selling type ratings and line training. :=

[ZorroA3ZZ]

And now there are good and bad pilots. First second and third category.
Here is the final companies "incentive " to sign:

3. There is a high probability that PBH contract conditions will be improved as soon as we will finalize the plans for a winter season. Improved conditions will be offered to the pilots who first signed contract extensions.

[Luggage]

Have conditions and contracts improved at Avion Express?

Are the pilots still getting messed around from original contract they agreed to to some rubbish low paying pseudo contract.:ugh: