REX suspends Cooma services - due to pilot shortage
 

Oh but remember, the other airlines are "Poaching" REX pilots, they're not looking to get out...

Why aren't management heads rolling for this???

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Media Release
31 October 2007
ONGOING PILOT SHORTAGE FORCES REGIONAL EXPRESS TO
TEMPORARILY SUSPEND ‘SNOWY MOUNTAINS’ SERVICE
Regional Express (Rex) today announced that it will temporarily suspend its single return service which operates six times per week between Sydney and the Snowy Mountains (Cooma).
The service will be suspended from 19 November 2007 to 18 May 2008. Rex General Manager Network Strategy and Sales, Warrick Lodge, said that the airline industry is facing a current and potential future shortage of pilots. Mr Lodge indicated that while Rex has been proactive in recruiting and training flight crew, in recent weeks the airline had been forced to cancel some services due to crew sickness.
“To ease the pressure on flight crew availability we have undertaken a review to lessen the potential for unplanned flight cancellations by temporarily scaling back some services. This has resulted in our Sydney to Snowy Mountains services being suspended over the summer off-season period.
“The Sydney to Snowy Mountains route is heavily influenced by stronger demand associated with the winter snow-season with the majority of travel occurring in the four months from June to September. By temporarily suspending the Snowy Mountains services during the off season we will ease the pressure on flight crew availability and unplanned cancellations across the remainder of our network which have higher levels of demand year round.
“Historically, Rex has achieved the lowest cancellation rate in the Australian airline industry and we are striving to get back to these levels”, Mr Lodge said.
Customers holding a reservation for travel between 19 November 2007 are 18 May 2008 are entitled to a full refund which can be processed by calling the Rex Customer Contact Centre on 13 17 13.
- 00 -

so does this me we tempoarily no loonger need an ASIC at cooma?

What happened to those heady times of slashing labour costs? Many managers were employed on the basis of their abilities to be pr!cks and cut labour and other costs while ignoring their consciences. Many aren't very good at anything else.
Have patience. It takes time for these same managers to grow a conscience now that they suddenly find themselves in need of all the labour they can attract and retain.
It also takes time for the various boards to wake up to the realization that slash-and-burn managers are not easily retrained to the grow-and-harvest types. Heads will roll. It just takes a while.

:D

Can't find the smile that shows laughing enough :} They're still short-sighteded and their financial planning is reactionary. Don't think they're looking to give the crews more than the minimum that they can get away with.

Since on topic, anyone know of any recent FOs to join REX and just how many hrs did they have??? Curious....

700 TT... rumours of much less.

There are FOs in the mix with much less than 700TT. There is a guy in currently with 250TT.

;)

250tt
 

You would think the guys instructing with around 7-800hrs TT would jump at the opportunity yeh? Beats GA!

Used to fly for Hazo's, hence my interest here.

There's a thread on the SE Asia forum about Indian nationals training in the USA; thousands of them, and that there will not be enough jobs in India for all those CPL holders.

Don't want to ring any alarm bells, but what do you think of the probability Government might allow 500 of those aspiring pilots to come down to Australia where there is a clear shortage of labor at Rex, et al?

There's only the small hiccup of transferring the US licence to an Australian CPL. Shouldn't think it'd be that hard, though I'm no expert in Licencing.

Allowing labor to migrate all around the world is what many high powered businessmen are calling for, the Harvey Norman guy's recent strident comments being the latest of these.

Hate to see it happen.

Do youse think it's likely?

4PW's

Australia goes to the poles in about four weeks. Howard will be thrown out and a union controlled and funded Rudd government will be swept into power. Yes, big business does have Rudd by the ears but the unions have him by the balls.
This is a rumour network remember.

The answer is simple.

There are basically 3 types of pilots at REX.

1./ The pilot who will do anything to get in a Big Jet no matter what. Thats always been the goal.

2./ The pilot who was willing to stay but has a feeling of "I don't want to be left behind". Make hay while the Sun shines. I'd better get on this ol' band wagon before it finishes. And...

3./ The pilot who is basically happy to stay. Have wife and kids now and need to settle down. Besides its a good life, right? No back of the clock shifts or SIms, home most nights etc.

Its this last cat (3) that the managers should be after. They probably don't need a huge pay rise, just a sence that they are being asked "what can we do to make your working life a bit easier?" Maybe 2 weekends off a month instead of 1, maybe a carpark pass or what ever. Its so easy to fix.

Unfortunately they are being ignored and thus are leaving. Der!~ :bored:

M1,

There's another category of pilot that Rex cannot afford to lose. Check Cpt's!
Especially those with sim approvals. The company has lost many of these in recent months and with the current trend, will continue to lose more.

Rex are being left well and truly behind in this industry. Personnel and equipment are moving on to a different level and management have left it far too late to stop the haemorraging.

She'll be right Naverick they will have to just introduce a cadet scheme for checkies.That seems to be the answer for everything.

Regards The Dog

Under Dog,

..........and don't forget the cadet scheme for FOI's

'Lord of The Flies' is an appropriate allegory for Rex;

A group of schoolboys trapped on a deserted island who attempted to govern themselves and failed disastrously

As mention1 mentioned, Category 3 is why i interviewed and wanted to go to rex. Unfortunantly or fortunantly I didn't get in. After 3 months and 4 emails i finally get a rejection letter from Sandy in HR. I found it quite funny ready the letter. I should have saved it and posted it. Basically, Thankyou for your time........the number of applicants was high................yaddda yaddda yadda...I find it hard to believe 500 hour pilots are getting in.

So what are they actually paying their drivers these days?

About 40% short of what they need to!

not enough

More cancellations
 

I believe that REX has announced that it is reducing its Sydney - Wagga services from 6 to 4 per day due to its lack of trained pilots.