Jetstar looking for Contract FOs
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But just like a lot of these airports, they will bite you in the a** if you underestimate them.
Both have unique challenges, but like I said, nothing insurmountable with a lot of common sense and a bit of type experience.
Both have unique challenges, but like I said, nothing insurmountable with a lot of common sense and a bit of type experience.
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Come on we're all professional, lets not turn this thread into a testosterone fight. We all at some stage in our careers fly into difficult airports. Lets get back on topic!
So know that NZALPA have filed court proceedings against Jetconnect/Jetstar anybody taking a contract with them would be seen as a scab?
So know that NZALPA have filed court proceedings against Jetconnect/Jetstar anybody taking a contract with them would be seen as a scab?
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NO !! As jetstar has nothing to do with jetconnect. Yes they are owned by the qantas group, but thats it. They are all run as seperate companies.There are guys coming across from aust for 12mths or so, guys coming from overseas , and guys joining from other new zealand airlines, and no one is breaking or crossing any picketlines, so dont be worried. If you really need or want the job, take it!!!
If I was a betting man, jitconnect wont be here in 18mths , as the orange team will just continue to grow, and will take over all the tasman flying anyway.
If I was a betting man, jitconnect wont be here in 18mths , as the orange team will just continue to grow, and will take over all the tasman flying anyway.
If Jetstar do as good a job in NZ as they have been doing in OZ (going by accounts on this esteemed site) they might not need many contractors or other pilots.
Qantas and VB have already done a good job of driving away customers with some of their actions ( VB not refunding your ticket when they cancel the flight, Qantas issues @ Queenstown when wx is bad).
I think the New Zealand public, as much as they like competition, have become a bit wary of some LCC airlines.
Qantas and VB have already done a good job of driving away customers with some of their actions ( VB not refunding your ticket when they cancel the flight, Qantas issues @ Queenstown when wx is bad).
I think the New Zealand public, as much as they like competition, have become a bit wary of some LCC airlines.
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You are not wrong there...just had a weekend with a bunch of friends in Queenstown. Flew down on Jetconnect and back on Air NZ...others weren't so lucky. Wx packed up a bit on Sunday and all Qantas flights were cancelled. Air NZ jet flights continued uninterrupted and on time, although at least one ATR was canned. Two of our group, who were booked home to AKL on Qantas ended up having to stay Sunday night in Queenstown, driving to Dunedin the next day and finally getting a flight out of there last night. Not sure who they flew back with, but I can tell you who they will NEVER be flying with again to Queenstown!
OK, aviation people all know about RNP approaches etc, but there is nothing going to put Joe Public off flying an airline like having their flight cancelled "due weather" when another airline is flying in and out uninterrupted.
OK, aviation people all know about RNP approaches etc, but there is nothing going to put Joe Public off flying an airline like having their flight cancelled "due weather" when another airline is flying in and out uninterrupted.
Air NZ jet flights continued uninterrupted and on time, although at least one ATR was canned. Two of our group, who were booked home to AKL on Qantas ended up having to stay Sunday night in Queenstown, driving to Dunedin the next
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I think JC has put more people off by cancelling flights due to engineering than bad wx at QN. My olds are qantas frequent fliers and had 4 flights in a row canned or seriously delayed due to engineering problems. Couple that with some very public technical problems and they are just too scared to get on a flying Kangaroo.
I am not saying that they should go with a defect but perhaps a change in brand and some new aircraft is needed. Just not at the expense of good t&cs.
Good luck to the contractors. Please screw Jetstar as much as they intend to screw the locals. And to all the people out there thinking about giving these pilots a hard time just remember that it is highly likely that the JC drivers will be looking for work in the next 12 - 18 months. It does them no favours when appling for jobs overseas to send the europeans back with the impression that Kiwi pilots are a pack of d*&ks.
As for wellington I hate the place. The wedges are always cold and they charge you 5 bucks for an ice cream.
I am not saying that they should go with a defect but perhaps a change in brand and some new aircraft is needed. Just not at the expense of good t&cs.
Good luck to the contractors. Please screw Jetstar as much as they intend to screw the locals. And to all the people out there thinking about giving these pilots a hard time just remember that it is highly likely that the JC drivers will be looking for work in the next 12 - 18 months. It does them no favours when appling for jobs overseas to send the europeans back with the impression that Kiwi pilots are a pack of d*&ks.
As for wellington I hate the place. The wedges are always cold and they charge you 5 bucks for an ice cream.
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Sit back and take a deep breath fellas.
The whole lot needs to get rubber stamped by CAA yet. It will be them that sets the crew experience mins and no ones going anywhere till JQNZ have got guys that meet it, easyjet or not.
Has JQNZ even got an AOC yet?
The whole lot needs to get rubber stamped by CAA yet. It will be them that sets the crew experience mins and no ones going anywhere till JQNZ have got guys that meet it, easyjet or not.
Has JQNZ even got an AOC yet?
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Have heard its operating on a aust AOC for the time being.( could be for alongtime from what I have heard??!!)
The RNP thing could take along time though, especially as the oz side still arent doing them yet...
The RNP thing could take along time though, especially as the oz side still arent doing them yet...
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Ladies and Gentlemen,
Think everyone needs to take a chill pill.
An old friend is a QF 737 driver with 7 years on type as an F/O, ex regional turboprop Captain,10,000 hrs plus, so not inexperienced.
7 Qantas F/O's including my friend were interviewed in Australia by Easyjet back in the boom times of 2006 when many crews left Easyjet apparently for BA and Virgin Atlantic and they were very short. Jets were being parked in the summer season.
Easyjet needed 737 pilots quickly and originally approached VB however they could not spare the crews.
JQ had no 737's nor spare pilots at the time as JQ were growing on a massive scale in Australia.
The only other airline in the english speaking world with pilots free were QF drivers due to the fact that JQ was expanding and not QF.
The Aussies had to sit UK air law plus complete a full 737 training course again which was observed by the UK CAA.
From the QF guys I spoke to Easyjet was a good airline with good standards a varied network and great guys/girls to fly with. Pay was better than JQ by a long way!
I hope crews in Jetstar will make them feel welcome.They are NOT scabs.
Be a shame to S#$% on a transfer system that could provide advantages/opportunities to crews in either airline from time to time.
At the end of the day we are probably talking less than ten F/O's anyway.Not a big deal at the end of the day.
I'm also sure that the NZ CAA will make them jump through all the hoops that the Aussies did in the UK.
The only moral issue could be if QF are making crews redundant whilst hiring overseas for Qantas Group positions .Then I could see the QF drivers upset.
Not that their union could do anything about it anyway IMHO.
The MOU I have seen is about as good as legal toilet paper.
Like I said shame to S$%^ on a system that may allow a few JQ guys an opportunity to fly in Europe one day.
Keep in in perspective.
Think everyone needs to take a chill pill.
An old friend is a QF 737 driver with 7 years on type as an F/O, ex regional turboprop Captain,10,000 hrs plus, so not inexperienced.
7 Qantas F/O's including my friend were interviewed in Australia by Easyjet back in the boom times of 2006 when many crews left Easyjet apparently for BA and Virgin Atlantic and they were very short. Jets were being parked in the summer season.
Easyjet needed 737 pilots quickly and originally approached VB however they could not spare the crews.
JQ had no 737's nor spare pilots at the time as JQ were growing on a massive scale in Australia.
The only other airline in the english speaking world with pilots free were QF drivers due to the fact that JQ was expanding and not QF.
The Aussies had to sit UK air law plus complete a full 737 training course again which was observed by the UK CAA.
From the QF guys I spoke to Easyjet was a good airline with good standards a varied network and great guys/girls to fly with. Pay was better than JQ by a long way!
I hope crews in Jetstar will make them feel welcome.They are NOT scabs.
Be a shame to S#$% on a transfer system that could provide advantages/opportunities to crews in either airline from time to time.
At the end of the day we are probably talking less than ten F/O's anyway.Not a big deal at the end of the day.
I'm also sure that the NZ CAA will make them jump through all the hoops that the Aussies did in the UK.
The only moral issue could be if QF are making crews redundant whilst hiring overseas for Qantas Group positions .Then I could see the QF drivers upset.
Not that their union could do anything about it anyway IMHO.
The MOU I have seen is about as good as legal toilet paper.
Like I said shame to S$%^ on a system that may allow a few JQ guys an opportunity to fly in Europe one day.
Keep in in perspective.
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Exactly.
And Blacksmoke, no, they will need a NZ AOC if they want to operate domestically within NZ. The trans tasman work can still be done on the Aussie AOC.
And Blacksmoke, no, they will need a NZ AOC if they want to operate domestically within NZ. The trans tasman work can still be done on the Aussie AOC.
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Jetstar are asking for experienced FO's from easyjet, so they're not going to get low time pilots. Both airlines are looking to develop a relationship where they can help each other out when the need is there. I would have thought only a law exam was needed to obtain a licence?
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I would have thought only a law exam was needed to obtain a licence?
Thanks for the replies to my earlier question regarding stepping on people's toes. It was not asked for my benefit, but rather to highlight any issues for the attention the F/Os that I fly with and allow them to make an informed choice. I am sure that anything said in a mature and reasonable manner will have been taken into consideration.
By the way, blown.n.gasket, whilst I appreciate your recognition of my Einstein status, the F/Os in question have not been in the industry for anywhere near the time that I have and they are still a little green in this respect. Therefore any response to your question "What do you think Einstein?" would be irrelevant.
By the way, blown.n.gasket, whilst I appreciate your recognition of my Einstein status, the F/Os in question have not been in the industry for anywhere near the time that I have and they are still a little green in this respect. Therefore any response to your question "What do you think Einstein?" would be irrelevant.
10002level
Also check out what is being offered to the contract FO's and compare this to what Jetstar are offering to local FO's and for that matter what they are paying the Captains.
Once you have done that, figure out the cockpit dynamics with respect to the Captains and the "visiting FO's", and the general feeling from all local Jetstar pilots towards those that come down from Europe for 6 months or so.
I don't know what's being offered to the local pilots but I have heard that the annualised salary for the "visiting FO's is well north of $110,000NZD plus accomodation and travel and I suspect the local FO's are getting nothing close to this, henced the need to "import" some pilots.
It might seem that Jetstar is a bit desperate.
Also check out what is being offered to the contract FO's and compare this to what Jetstar are offering to local FO's and for that matter what they are paying the Captains.
Once you have done that, figure out the cockpit dynamics with respect to the Captains and the "visiting FO's", and the general feeling from all local Jetstar pilots towards those that come down from Europe for 6 months or so.
I don't know what's being offered to the local pilots but I have heard that the annualised salary for the "visiting FO's is well north of $110,000NZD plus accomodation and travel and I suspect the local FO's are getting nothing close to this, henced the need to "import" some pilots.
It might seem that Jetstar is a bit desperate.
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Wx packed up a bit on Sunday and all Qantas flights were cancelled. Air NZ jet flights continued uninterrupted and on time,
DC, you are implying that QF do not go down to the minima, am I right ? Coz surely you are'nt implying that ANZ/Jetconnect go below the minima ??
but there is nothing going to put Joe Public off flying an airline like having their flight cancelled "due weather" when another airline is flying in and out uninterrupted.
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hongkongfooey,
The minima issue is about the "Qantas" (Jetconnect) 737's being unable to do RNP approaches into Queenstown (while ANZ and Qantas Mainline can).
The difference in minima for the normal vs RNP approaches is very large, and means that quite often Jetconnect can't get in, where ANZ can.
The minima issue is about the "Qantas" (Jetconnect) 737's being unable to do RNP approaches into Queenstown (while ANZ and Qantas Mainline can).
The difference in minima for the normal vs RNP approaches is very large, and means that quite often Jetconnect can't get in, where ANZ can.
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A Comfy Chair, exactly right...I thought my reference to RNP approaches made it clear enough.
Apology accepted in advance HKF....remember, Confucious say "A closed mouth gather no feet"
I personally know a number of JC pilots, mainly Skippers, and some of them have a hell of a lot of Queenstown experience. The only thing stopping them would have been the higher minimas for the VOR approach v the RNP. From memory the VOR mnimums are around 4000ft plus and landing on 23(?) off the approach usually reruires a visual orbit of Lake Hayes to lose height and position on final. That wasn't going to happen that day!
Apology accepted in advance HKF....remember, Confucious say "A closed mouth gather no feet"
I personally know a number of JC pilots, mainly Skippers, and some of them have a hell of a lot of Queenstown experience. The only thing stopping them would have been the higher minimas for the VOR approach v the RNP. From memory the VOR mnimums are around 4000ft plus and landing on 23(?) off the approach usually reruires a visual orbit of Lake Hayes to lose height and position on final. That wasn't going to happen that day!