V Australia Operations DELAYED TO FEB09

[The Shield]

Yeah you guys can say whatever you like, for someone like me with the bare 1000 hours instructing the opportunity at a gig flying a 777 at 38 grand is too good to be true!

In a couple of years I'll get a crack at Fo and a payrise so it will be worth it.

For all those knockers you just stay in your ****ty GA job and when you finally get a gig on a jet I'll be laughing as your Capatanio! haha

Go you all you Gen Y!

hahaha

[ozbiggles]

The Shield.....so you got a job there with that level of maturity?
First two lines OK, a rational point.....the rest just scares me that you may have some level of responsibility on a big jet.

[ACMS]

what?

Trust me bub ( as a person that's been there and done that ) after 1000 hrs trudging across the Pacific, crappy crew meals, sleep deprivation in 3 star Hotels, etc etc you'll wish you didn't give yourself over soooo easily. You'll wish a real Union negotiated some better conditions for you.

And just when you thought you'd get a nice day off ( so you could actually take a crap at the correct time ) VAus crew control will ring up and TELL you to "go back to LA and do it all again, no day off for you little fella"

When I think of what you are accepting the word prostitute comes to mind, and narrow minded, and selfish.

After 30 years of 1000 hrs a year you'll be lucky to survive past retirement, but that doesn't matter as you wont have any money to retire anyway.

Enjoy the 77W, from the back seat.

[puff]

They might as well have offered $10 an hour and a bed in the YMCA for Cruise F/Os and they still would have been flocked with applications!

The shuttle bus driver would be earning more!

[Wiley]

But the saddest fact of all about Australian Aviation, a fact that management learned well in 1989 and have confirmed for themselves quite a few times since, is that wannabees like The Shield will always be there in large enough numbers to fill any position on offer no matter how 'orrible the package offered.

About the only thing they'll argue about is how far up their fundamental orifice they'll gladly take the proffered management cicket bat.

[Getzo]

They voted for a rogering and thats what they are getting!!
I feel sorry for those 47% that had a backbone.

[Wings Of Fury]

Crazy days!!
I never thought I would see the day when myself, a wide body Airbus First Officer (based overseas) would be earning more than a B777 Training Capt.

I mean you have to put a price tag on living overseas, and money is not the primary reason why I do this job, but after tax its still 50K AUD more than the a VA Training Capt. Whats going on in Australia?

[KTM525]

Are you guys seriously saying this thing got voted through? Wow! Unfortunately the ramifications of this will go through to every wage negotiation in the future for airline pilots in Australia....thanks guys!
(Actually i guess its the pilots who voted no, management as usual have ruined our fun)
Just shows it would be great if we had a common union to represent everyone.(tell him he's dreaming!)

[greenslopes]

Shield, without the required twin command hours you will be unable to progress and remain as S/O till you do.
If you are going to shaft everyone on your way "up" make sure you have done your due diligence as no one will be in your corner to back you up.............you selfish ****!

[knowall]

There has not been a vote yet. I hope the AFAP thanks Sue.... for organizing the union within VA. That is all this pathetic proposal has done. I understand similar feeling are running though the CC ranks.

[psycho joe]

In a couple of years I'll get a crack at Fo and a payrise so it will be worth it.

Why would you assume anything of the sort?

Remember, there is no linear progression for CFO's. Despite any assertions being made now by the company, after your contract has expired they have no obligation to offer you anything. It may very well be a case of "Ta ta Mr Shield, re-apply for Senior FO position when you have a couple of thousand right seat jet hours, more command time etc...Wish you all the best on future endeavours blah bla". And don't assume you'll be able to seamlessly transition to VB for that right seat time either. I seem to remember an agreement for pilot transition between QANTASLINK and Jetstar which came to nothing.

[dunerider]

I wonder if the impending agreement was disclosed to the new VA pilots during
their interview process. The obvious answer was probably not. I imagine the bosses of VB are trying to get this passed so they can enact the standdown clause and reduce the payout they have to give their VA Flight crew.I truly feel sorry for the guys who left great jobs to return home for genuine family reasons.

[markontop]

You all seem surprised

Working for Branson and he does this? Really he has form. I remember just before VB started the GFI was interviewed on business Sunday;
Reporter; "Mr. Branson what are you going to pay your pilots"?
GFI; "what the markets dictate"?
Reporter; "Mr. Branson what are you going to pay"?
After a few more evasive answers, Richard declares the interview over and leaves.
As I said you still seem surprised and have left real jobs to come and work for him. But hey what great marketing.

[ga_trojan]

You must provide us with a telephone number (preferably a mobile number) at which you will be contactable during and outside of working hours.

So has CASA changed their interpretation of "free of all duty" then? The last CASA interpretation I heard on this matter was that if you were required to be contactable that was considerd duty and was to be logged as such. I recall a Chief Pilot years ago being busted by CASA for this very offence!!

[dirty deeds]

Getzo,

Your right, thanks to the 53% of guys that voted yes on a Deed that was nothing short of stupidity. Sounds like a great place to work with the caliber of pilot gaining employment at V. Would love to work and play with some of these guy's, NOT! Good luck to you all, thanks for really putting the boots into our pay and conditions. So when the pay scales to fly a 777 are less than an instructor, is that when you decide to not take the job. Think long term. Oh thats right, pilots don't have the ability to do this.

[Visual Landing]

You all have to remember that there was not a vote on any VA terms and conditions. That happens next week on the joke you have read above.

[chookcooker]

So how does this upcoming vote work? Do the individual sections (ie Flight Crew, Cabin Crew etc) have to be at least 50% yes individually?
....What a joke

[oldhasbeen]

Before we get too concerned with who's going to get payed more, it might be prudent to have a look at whats happening around us as we speak. A lot of folks who had planned to maybe come home early with well earned gains from o/s and happily sit in the front of VA 777 for a couple of years before hangin' up the "gone fishing" sign, have lost a ton of those gains. They will probably be forced to sit it out in the desert or asia and work hard at getting back on track before heading back to Aus. Put simply, you cannot crew B777s with wet behind the ears 1000 hr instructors , no matter how far they are prepared to bend over! This, along with the other obvious hurdles will simply see the end of VA as a concern to anyone.

[KRUSTY 34]

I don't know mate, Sandpit Sam and his pals have put their hands up. Unless of course they have changed their minds. They have gone a little quiet?

I sure hope for their families sake they haven't burnt too many bridges!

[ULH Extreme]

With the OZ $ dropping by 30%, it's not worth going home to such a low paid job.