Jetstar to hire 150 pilots
 

JETSTAR has begun a massive recruiting campaign for 150 Airbus A320 and A330 pilots to allow it to meet its aggressive expansion plans.

Recruiters in markets such as Europe, Asia, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa will be working to sign up the pilots over the next five months to fill positions across its network.

The recruiting drive brings to an end a freeze on hiring introduced after a run-in with pilots earlier this year over moves to put new hires on permanent part-time contracts. News of the contracts triggered widespread anger among the pilot group and prompted legal action by the Australian Federation of Air Pilots.

Jetstar chief executive Bruce Buchanan said yesterday the new recruits were necessary to meet the airline's continuing growth.

"We have got to the point where we're the fastest-growing and most successful airline ever, having reached almost 20 million passengers in our seventh year of operation," he said.

"And that growth rate is continuing. We are saying we need a big recruiting drive in terms of pilots to continue to support the success and growth.

"And so we've put out a big drive across all of our bases."

Mr Buchanan said the positions were also open to Qantas pilots after the Airline and International Pilots Association reactivated a memorandum of understanding in Fair Work Australia.

He said the MOU allowed Qantas pilots in Australia to not only take a leave of absence but get a seniority slot in Jetstar that opened up promotional opportunities in the low-cost carrier.

About 40 positions are for A330 pilots, although Mr Buchanan said this could increase.

He said those positions were also open to internal candidates, and they could end up being filled by 20 internal and 20 external candidates, creating a need to fill more A320 positions.

The airline says its last recruiting drive attracted about 10 pilots for every position and Mr Buchanan said he hoped to replicate this by offering a package that includes the ability to work any part of the business with first "dibs" on any career opportunities.

He said the airline also offered financial stability as well as some of the latest aircraft types and access to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

But the airline has yet to reach a resolution with its pilot group on contracts for new hires.

AFAP executive director Terry O'Connell said last night that talks with the airline were ongoing, with discussions continuing this week and more talks scheduled for next week.

"We are hopeful of some progress but it's still in train, so to speak," he said.

Mr O'Connell said the union would want the new hires to be employed under the EBA.

"As far as we're concerned, there's no other option," he said.

"All I can say is that the talks are progressing."





So does anyone on the inside know as to whether the EBA will be offered either on a part time / full time basis and when ground schools are supposed to start?

"The airline says its last recruiting drive attracted about 10 pilots for every position and Mr Buchanan said he hoped to replicate this by offering a package that includes the ability to work any part of the business with first "dibs" on any career opportunities."

From memory the last drive resulted in 5 people actually accepting the offered terms for the 55 positions. Given Mr Buchanan's track record I wouldn't apply for any "package" that did not have the protection of an EBA. His public comments appear to be somewhat detached from reality on a regular basis.

If you have a reasonable job, wait until the existing management have gone.

My two cents worth.

Liberal with the truth
 

BB says "We have got to the point where we're the fastest-growing and most successful airline ever, having reached almost 20 million passengers in our seventh year of operation,"

Only because you have leached the pax from the mother ship.:mad:

This offer doesn't mean much IMO, it has just been created as a means to transfer QF guys over to Jetstar, and maybe a few pissed off Tiger guys too. They won't be doing much, if any, external recruiting at all if you ask me.

Why would they? I just got an email a few weeks ago from rishworth for a320 f/o's for $65k NZD. Maybe the response rate was pretty poor? :E

Get in quick and beat the rush transferring from QF!:E

Note: Evil smilie used in absence of tongue in cheek smilie!;)

Can someone in the know please advise what an average (yep, thats me, very) Jetstar A320 F/O earns in Australia? I have tried searching but there is suprisingly little consistent info.

you haven't looked to hard have you!
JETSTAR jobs, payscales and entry requirements.

Say "no" to watering down our profession.

Also, I would advise you to become part of a union such as the AFAP. Know your rights, and unite. It the only way to make things change.

last offer oversubscribed by a factor of10 eh Bruce. That would be about 550 pilots vying for 55 positions! As Bombs gone said, only 5 jellybacks applied, and it seems they lucked out onto the EBA because of the efforts of the AFAP/JPC (Federal court injunction). I'd bet my house that those five pilots weren't even union members. Good one guys!

Years ago the Mayor of New York instigated zero tolerance policing. This was sucessful in catching serious criminal offenders by netting apparently ordinary citizens for any breach of the law, no matter how trivial. On a large number of ocassions these petty acts resulted in the offender being aprehended for the comitting of former serious crimes.

The dishonesty of this management is truely breathtaking. Some may say that it's just smoke and mirrors, it's simply playing the game. It underlines however a much deeper attitude WRT corporate responsibility. As with the criminals apprehended in the above example, JQ/QF management are so used to comitting what they see as acceptable transgressions (lying to all and sundry, The media, the public, the Senate!), that what lies underneath must surely be interesting.

Unless this latest offer of employment is under the current JQ EBA, DON'T TOUCH IT! You will only be facilitaing the evil empire, and sowing the seeds of our own destruction. JQ management will have to act responsibly, or shelve their expansion plans, and they're unlikely to do that! As for the 5 weak as P!ss characters that took the last offer, well done boys, you are enjoying the fruits of labour facilitated by men much stronger than you. My advice, keep your heads down and thank your lucky stars!

+1 Krusty :ok:

Join the AFAP! Didn't they start this all off and let it happen......Who is signatory to the Jetstar Award...time to let the pilots run the unions again...not the staff...they have nothing to lose.....the pilots do.

Jibba Jabba, thanks for your redundant link. I have seen that but as my use of the word average implied, I was actually after average pay given current hours being flown. The current offer is per the Jetstar EBA. Thanks.

A,

Spoke to a mate who is on the A320 SYD, yesterday.

He tells me the average F/O money is about $3200 nett per fortnight with the odd overtime ( day off payment ) thrown in once a month. He did say they are working 1000 hours per year under a dispo so I wouldn't count on o/t.

GUARD

Thanks Guard.

Directly from the 2008 J* EBA


Level 1 - 87k
Level 2 - 89K
Level 3 - 103k

Be careful.
I just bought my daughter a ticket to Singapore and back for the netball championships on Jetstar. She's travelled a fair bit and said it was her worst travel experience ever.

Rude cabin crew, poor on-time -performance and appalling food.
I suppose you get what you pay for.

Can this airline survive given the dreadful press and internet publicity?

I'm willing to give anything a go once but the naysayers are correct, it's mickey mouse.

yes it can..........the low fare leisure traveller in this country is in a league of its own....having operated in other countries under similar models i can tell you it out stands me on a daily basis.. Our cliental don't believe in shoes...or personal hygiene (nor can control there bladders apparently while seated)..It is the same people i see everyday disembarking ranting and raving about how they will never travel on us again..that i see the week after on board again....But i do agree the novelty wares off quite quickly. Tiger is the perfect example..if it wasn't for CASA shutting it down,,,,,,they would be lining up in droves ....

It aint overly redundant, as it still gets updated. But you got your average found out.
A jetstar f/o in Darwin, has alot of time off and rarely any overtime or monthly excess payments. So Averages can be vary depending on location so make sure you ask where they are based if your that keen for a number.
92k / 26 = $3500pf; so not to far from that above quoted average.
good luck
:ok:

You've got to be kidding, IMHO the Jetstar EBA is already crap.

Do not apply until their EBA is paying market rate, and by that I mean as per the mainline EBA.

Do not become one of the cretins that will see only the short term " oh I want to fly a jet".

IMHO, Jetstar EBA is not the standard, Jetstar EBA is below the standard, grow some stones.

Tax is the obvious killer in this country, you lose 35k of your income in a flash of a 130k salary.

Tiger guys were doing about $3700nett at some bases last month per fortnight. Compared to a Tiger F/O in Singapore which could be rolling in upwards of $5100 Singapore dollars per fortnight.

Well then it would be goodbye a few hundred pilots if they did that.

Have a look at some other low cost carriers around the world and you will find this is pretty much standard, look at the likes of AirAsia and some US LCC's and you have Captains on Jetstar and Tiger F/O Salaries.

Although in the case of AirAsia, you have Jetstar Cabin crew earning more than some F/Os!

Don;t you have to salary sacrifice your endorsement costs as well? Thats what the pilot FAQ says on website.

How much you lose a fortnight though that??

Many pilots with no jet time may jump at this appalling contract. Paying $40,000 (at least two to three times what it really cost j* to endorse a pilot), and a bond on low salary for many years, with a career with them of poor salary and conditions.

They will do it to get jet experience with the idea of bailing out of such a terrible deal as soon as their bond finishes.

The problem is they are screwing pilots salary and packages in Aus down so low they will be forced to live with them for the remainder of their working career OR forced to live o-seas in places like the middle east for the remainder of their working career.

It may seem an exciting thought to start a career o-seas, but it gets old really quick.

Ask me how I know.

Think long and hard.

737-300 captain with Orient Thai is on $7000USD a month.

Fastest growing airline ever?
 

What's he's smoking, I want.

Obviously hasn't heard of EK.
Mind you, with the way these blokes cook the books they could claim the first moon landing.

I wonder what's the likelihood the 50-odd guys that turned down the previous part time contract will be given another go under the EBA?

Do they all have to do the standard Jetstar process that was around a couple of years ago - SHL maths and verbal

thats right sonny......

i think he is still hasn't realised that the number is going to have to climb higher than 150 now that EK is salivating at all the disgruntled QF and JQ pilots.....Not to mention in the past week alone 3 JQ captains and 5 JQ FO's had jumped ship to EK.....and many more to come......

Careful what you sign up for people,,,,,

xjt,

You can add 2 QF A380 F/O's to that list and no doubt more to come.:ooh:

At least you have some idea where you stand in EK.:\

yep.......you can add mine to that list...hopefully sooner than later

to be fair i must admit the mood at jq has begun to change quite a bit in the past months..the once so convinced that the company is looking out for there best interest and future have changed their tune ....towards the i don't really give a f**k .....i think thats where we are all heading...very sad..but your right with EK at least you know where you stand...

Well good luck at EK, however my mate who recently left from a command gig on the EK 777 to come home to NO flying job may disagree when you think that EK management let you know where you stand.

As someone who has worked overseas there is a BIG premium to be had on being able to work in your home country. Good luck and I wish you the best, however please don't think all is happy at EK.

AH......i have too spent 12 years abroad working like a dog to be able to come back to my birth nation, to be around my family, and to also in this SO CALLED "Democratic Nation" work for A DECENT employer with work rules that don't replicate what most of us have had to endure to get these "Golden Ticket Jobs back in OZ".(i.e-third world employers...ooops i work for one"... The point of saying that at least at EK you know where you stand is the point that when you sign up you are quite aware of the fact that management can turn the tables when every they want, conditions can change...and yes its not all peaches and cream.....but at least you know that going in. What excuse does the QF group have....
In my time abroad i had never experienced such vile, contemptible, arrogant, greedy, malicious, and incompetent middle and upper level management. These people have no moral backbone. This country has become worse than the US......KPI driven individuals, unethical and illegal practices, fraud, exploitation of domestic and foreign workers....Liars.. I can go on for hours.... All from WHAT!!!...An Australian company....at EK and all other outfits at least the glove is on the table when you sign up...........

$3200 x 26 = $83,200

Something does not add up there guys. Nett vs gross.

Jetstar costs
 

With all the low $ rates they are offering, they are now dealing with;

- Melb based A330 crews are overnighting in Singapore to cover flying,
- East coast crews continually overnighting in NZ to cover flying,
- Upwards of 25-30 crew overnighting in Darwin ea night to cover the flying,
- Now recruitment (which is in itself outsourced) is using PARC to recruit
for the A330 Singapore operation.
- In the last few days multiple flights cancelled as not enough cabin crew.

Surely this must be costing more that just slightly raising pay rates.
Hopefully we have reached the nadir?????

FOs are heading to EK. Do they know something? I guess Q pilots have finally worked out what pornstar is about. The funny thing is no pilot is safe in Q shame about that really.

New Valuair Contract rates for Jetstar A330 Singapore Based Captains this week advised increase in hourly rate from $200 to $240 per hour!

A whopping 20% increase!!!

Just had a read of the latest Sin 330 deal,(forwarded on from a current pilot there). So much for setting up a base to lower the costs... 850hrs works out around 265k ...(plus a few bonuses you may or may not ever see). Crew happy, and all doing big/max hours in the min of days. All 3 day trips, and not getting called in on resv (probably out of hrs??!!).
More planes coming, along with more routes. Seems ok to me...
Low tax rates, and not getting paid in US $$ is a big plus to...

Whats the catch?????

Can anyone tell me what the actual take home pay is for FOs on the NZ contract?

Bit hard to say duff, the new revised terms have just been published and the base salary is up to $71,000 per year and the hourly flying rate has doubled from $60 per hour to $120 per hour for every hour over 65 hours.

Sign on bonuses have also been raised and the yearly bonus is now 100% guaranteed with another year bonus introduced that has a performance element.

So average wages don't really hold true any more.

Where did you get those details from AH?

Thanks AH. how many hours are the fo's out of Auckland flying per month? Im guessing that non-rated FOs are still not privvy to any bonus payments for the first three years.

Oakape,

The new revised terms and conditions are available on the company intranet for both Singapore and New Zealand. Seems they have had some trouble recruiting so have had to sweeten the deal.

At the moment the Auckland FO's are struggling for hours as the base has a few temporary FO's at the moment who are destined for Singapore. I would say though that once those move on things will be back to normal of around 80ish hours per month.