VA Current State

[Degrees]

Hi all, I currently work at QF in a supervisory engineering role, and have been there for 7 years. I am in the final recruitment stage for the same position at Virign and want to get a decent picture of the company before making a huge leap of faith.

I'm reading a lot of former employee reviews citing incompetent senior leadership and a 'the ship is sinking' kind of mentality but I don't know if things have improved with the recent profits. I'd be hugely grateful if anyone on the inside can comment on the company's future stability and what the general feeling among the workforce is. Sluggish internal changes and a culture of apathy are my motivation for leaving QF so I would like to ensure I am not walking into something worse.

[PoppaJo]

You probably won't get an accurate reading on here, what will probably happen is a whole bunch of Alan's people will be on here in a second essentially claiming Virgin is on deaths door, it can't be fixed, and Alan is a god.

Virgin are paying down debt. The numbers have reversed. The debt will be continued to be paid of heavily in the next few years, and they will ride out the other end on top.

You won't miss that QF Atmosphere thats for sure.

[bobyyy1]

I can’t tell you much from an engineers perspective but from a pilots view, it’s a pretty abismal place.

The people you work with (crew/cabin crew/engineers) on the whole are fantastic. However the decision making of management can leave a sour taste for the troops on the front line.

There a hundreds of va pilots applying for qf. The money and progression seems far better there. Qf also seem to have a seniority system that works. Pilots on the ATR are trapped on the fleet for at least 10 years from joining and 777 s/o’s are also frozen for about 3 years. Meanwhile the company will go ahead and bring in new hires off the street on better fleets(737)/pay/bases and wonder why people are disgruntled and leave...

Also Qf management sound like they are kicking goals while the VA management team is losing friends at air NZ and undoing years of good work.

It all depends on what you are after. If you prefer security and probably better pay, I would stay at qf. Va is definitely a shakier ship but if you are after a change of scenery, it could also be the right place for you.

[dr dre]

You probably won't get an accurate reading on here, what will probably happen is a whole bunch of Alan's people will be on here in a second essentially claiming Virgin is on deaths door, it can't be fixed, and Alan is a god.


Well you don't have to listen to Alan's people. Just like the previous poster said, listen to one of the numerous ex VA pilots who have abandoned ship recently, some sacrificing many years of seniority and a taking a demotion. All I'm aware of are very happy to be out of VA.

Haven't heard of a single pilot doing the reverse. That should tell you something.

[Berealgetreal]

You need to find engineers to talk to. Pilots aren’t going to have the first idea of what things are like on the engineering front.
All we can say is that they are nearly always pleasant and helpful. Good luck with your search, it’s a big decision.

[The Golden Rivet]

It takes a few months to get used to VA, obviously different processes but the aircraft are the same, great blokes and girls in all engineering ports, sometimes there are issues but of all the qf personal that have come across I don’t know of any that went back😃 Virgin Tech is a different beast to the pilot group all they seem to care about is the view from the left?
As for asking pilots on this forum for advice, pfft who cares about them 😂

[Degrees]

You need to find engineers to talk to. Pilots aren’t going to have the first idea of what things are like on the engineering front.
All we can say is that they are nearly always pleasant and helpful. Good luck with your search, it’s a big decision.

Agreed, but the engineering forum looks dead.

[airdualbleedfault]

Doesn't matter what department you are in, Qantas is outperforming Virgin in every respect, always has, and probably always will

[pocker pipty]

As a QF engineer, all I can say is if you have made it to a supervisory position in 7 years and you are not happy, RUN now!

[coaldemon]

Engineering in VA is run by a very competent Guy. Hs been there for over 10 years which should tell you something. From memory the structure in VA was a little different but nothing to be worried about unless you will be a post holder. Not a good place to be if you are a Pilot but it depends what you are after. ATR pilots for 10 years? Nope can't see that but they are making some strange decisions. Cadets into B737 and it seems like they are enforcing their freezes so whatever you start on you will be there for a couple of years after CTL. I'm with Pocker Pipty though. If you are Supervisory why would you move.

[shoddy88]

ATR pilots for 10 years? Nope can't see that....

Maybe you should take a closer look? perhaps with your glasses on!