VB interview

[abfgh]

Has anybody been called lately? How many of the 60 seats are left?

[tightcannon]

27 sets left, however be aware of the following questions
1. do you remember 1989
2. do you mind paying $25k for an endorsement
3. do you mind flying
a: darwin return
b: perth(1130pm)-sydney-brisbane-sydney
c: perth(1130)pm-sydney-adelaide
d: work for a company that is taking SACL to court for a handshake agreement yet wont acknoledege the same with the pilots
e: the lowest paid 737ng pilots in the world
f: being kept inthe dark regards travel beniefits
g:Having to put up all those flight attendendants

[Richard Kranium]

Capt Raby, remembers 1989 quite well...and he was going for a huge pay increase, so how come the pay at VB is not the best in the world, oh let me guess!!!! self interest!!!!!! at the expence of others!!!!!!lets say........... :cool:

[Dehavillanddriver]

Before you go and say that VB pilots are the worst paid NG pilots in the world, go and have a look at Air Pacific and Polynesian.

Then go and have a look at their tax rates, the cost of living in the respective countries and then come back and tell me if the VB guys and gals are the worst paid NG pilots in the world.

If you want to tell a story, at least be mildly honest about it.

VB pilots are by no means the best paid in the world, by any stretch of the imagination. There are a lot of problems with the eba. BUT we are not the worst paid NG pilots in the world.....

This outfit, for all its faults has provided opportunities for a lot of people that they MAY not have had otherwise. It has provided a haven for well over 50 ansett and ansett associated company pilots.

There may well be problems in this outfit, but there are far worse employers - trust me I have worked for a few of them!

[Guptar]

Rumour has it that Patrick senior managment are less than impressed with the way that one particular (senior )person is turning the airline into mates club for pilots.

[Keg]

DHD, it is good indeed to see you being 'honest' about the pay and conditions of Virgin. When you compare the pay and conditions favourably to carriers that would have to be considered as 'developing' nations as opposed to 'first world' nations like Australia then things must be just peachy.

Good on you for your honesty. :D

[Arctaurus]

Guptar

Flight ops management might not be the only issue that Patrick is getting a little nervous about.

The airline has expanded so quickly that the internal systems are really struggling to keep up with current CASA requirements.

Unexpected CASA compliance issues can only increase DJ's operating costs with a resulting negative influence on yield. As a consequence, there will be no upward movement in Virgin pay and conditions as management will be desperate to contain costs.

Both Patrick and Branson must be hoping that the mysterious "third domestic operator" never gets off the ground in it's own right.

[Gnadenburg]

Not just a boys club.

A very famous Australian tennis player got his friend's friend a pilot job at VB recently.

The famous tennis player rang his friend, Richard Branson , to arrange employment.

Famous tennis player was aghast at the request, but with a hundred mill in the bank he may not realise how tough it is on the street, especially for low time Cessna drivers.

Surely Patricks don't care about a boys club. Especially if the boys are doing the job, not striking and poorly paid.

[Coffee thanks!]

Firstly, I don't know anyone who has been called/interviewed since September, but I sure wish I did! I heard that the initial supply of overseas Aussie pilots may have started to dry up, and that they had been recruiting from regionals. I guess one day we may learn if this is true. Heaven knows what happens next with supply and demand as the terror war escalates.

Yes I remember 1989. I was a flying instructor before and after. why do you ask?:rolleyes:

No I don't mind paying for the endorsement, given that the registered agreement has the company paying it back in a training allowance over a few years. I buy an endorsement on the biggest selling airliner in history and they give me experience on type. If I leave them in the lurch I have cost myself some dollars. Much the same as my wife upgrading her diploma to a degree. It costs her up front. She gets a bigger salary as a result unless she decides to do something else in which case she may not recoup her investment in herself. I have made many worse investments with financial planners over the years than investing in myself.

No I don't mind any of those sectors or duty days. They are better than many I have done in the past, Jet lag is minimal in the domestic flying and the length of the day is legal. Having lived in the Territory for three years, not overnighting in Darwin does not trouble me at all. If we assume that QF is a better job we should ask about the 14 hour overnight legs there (not knocking QF mind you - I would have been happy to get a job there, but with lots of younger jet experienced guys around over the last year or so I am not even competitive enough to get tested - I have left my run too late - too old). If you want to be an airline pilot you must accept that airlines fly 24 hours, 7 days, 52 weeks a year. Someone has to fly the night sectors.

Turning the rest of TC's comments into questions:

Regarding the hypocracy of enforcing/not abiding by handshake agreements: business is business. At least I know why Virgin Blue are in business (as opposed to working for a govt department), and I wouldn't expect them to do anything less. Yes if they annoy or mislead their staff the staff will be unhappy and ultimately that will take it's toll on the business. It is their train set: If they want to blow up the engines like the Adamm's Family they can. Corporate court cases seldom seem to be about morals.

Yes I would be happy to work for the second highest paying airline in Australia - who hires people without previous airline experience - given that the highest paying airline won't hire me this year. Australia is, by the way, a third world country by several measured standards, but I would still rather live here than somewhere else even if they do pay more overseas. The salary at VB is roughly between 1.4 and 3 times the Australian average salary for full time employees, and I think provides an adequate income to support a family.

As to being kept in the dark regarding travel benefits I am not sure what is meant. If this means that VB staff get some sort of disount tickets (ID - whatever) they are doing better than most of us anyway. Darkness struggles to overcome a torch and a good look around, and the info need only be obtained once.

As to the flight attendants - I presume sarcasm is intended towards overnights with young and pretty female flight attendants. Having a different style sense of humour I simply note the following: I would rather fly an aircraft with them than without them. If they are young and pretty they won't be interested in me anyway, except as a minder to deflect unwanted attention in nightclubs. I suspect that their conversation interests would be sufficiently different to mine to give little opportunity for a satisfying discussion. Going from experience young and pretty doesn't last for ever - nor it it as satisfying as maturity and knowledge. So reluctantly have to agree with the sentiment.

So go ahead. Punch my smilies out.
Regards:D

[E.P.]

A small suggestion to the VB mates club.

A large amount of the current angst directed at VB could be easily

reduced. Simply reply to an applicates application advising them

that they will be considered or "good luck" with their career.

Common courtesy may help diffuse the preception of

unprofessionalism swirling around the children of the revolution.

[alidad]

Coffee thanks- You are far too well educated and articulate to add any meaningless dribble to this forum. An engineer is my guess!
Best of fortune with your endeavours.

[BUSTACLOUD]

coffee thanks

I know of a couple fellas 737 and 767 endorsed recently just been given job offers by VB from the Eurozone. However there are many more who are jet qualified over here who are waiting for a reply and have been waiting for over a year without a peep from VB. Nope the pool is not dry. PS i am not one of the hopefulls I have other fish to fry!:p :p :cool: :p

[Casper]

Coffee Thanks

Good post. It's great to see pilots from GA and the commuters getting jet jobs with an airline, albeit at some cost which, after all, remains a tax deduction.

Richard Kranium

RH, forget the list and get on with life.

[CT7]

Coffee Thanks, a wee comment from the East Islands (NZ) MATE!, by the sounds of you, your head is screwed on. I'd be happy to fly on your right! But leave the F/A's to me please....
We here would give a scabs right testie to fly for VB, considering the salaries here.....
Keep the blue bit up and there's always more power available!

[zzoott]

Some of you must have led a very sheltered life. Virgin will employ and pay pilots what the market allows not what the rest of the rest of Australia's pilot group thinks is the rightful amount or would hope to earn. They as well as qf will employ whomever they please according to instructions from there respective Chief Pilots and management and probably dont give a rats what anyone else thinks. Have any of you propective aces ever considered that you dont meet the grade at either company. Also be thankful that Aus is one of the few places in the world that is actively hiring pilots. :rolleyes:

[abfgh]

Lot's has been said......but the question still remains....

[MTOW-Maski]

abfgh - Guy's are still being called. I know of someone who had an interview a bit over a week ago and another guy who is having a interview this coming week.

No idea how many jobs are left!

[The Ox]

Does anyone know if any low timers are getting called, or are they generally fairly experienced?

[ccy sam]

OX, hang in there. When I jointed VB a few months ago there was a group of ex AN F/Os each with several thousand jet hours, but there was also a young bloke with only a couple of thousand hours on piston twins only. If your worried about age, I'm on the wrong side of 40 with less than the average experience for my age. Its the character of the person they are interested in. Good luck

[Cabbage farmer]

Ccy Sam,

Good to see that there are nice people still in the industry. There is nothing worse than hearing everyone moaning about woe is me, so its nice to have someone give a little hope. Thanks for puttin a smile on my face.

Have a nice christmas.