VirginBlue Roster
 

I have searched the archives, but would like to know what the Virgin rosters are like.

How many days off per month ?

How many overnights ? (2 or 3 nights in a row ?)

Duty times etc

Thanks

And whilst you're at it, what is the staff travel package like, if any?

Hard to believe the archives are blank on this topic because it has been flogged to death in this forum. 8-12 overnights a month plus or minus. 50 - 80 hours of stick time. A few whingers but they are not the majority. Some key rostering issues are being addressed both as part of the new EBA and as an ongoing maturation of the growing VB crewing program. I have seen a lot worse...a LOT. Biggest problem is that some pilots want their cake and to eat it as well.

Staff travel allows ID90 on VB. I can't remeber who else. We have the usual access to Breakaway and Easyway industry discounted tickets as well. Life is good. Those that aren't happy wouldn't be happy anywhere.

Any plans for other DJ bases?
 

With all those overnights when does it become more viable for an airline to introduce other crew bases?

12 nights per nights X no. of pilots = lots of $$$ on overnight hotel accommodation.

FYI, Virgin pays $85 per night for each crew member that overnights in Adelaide (Radisson). There is about 35-40 of them per night. 35 x $85 = almost $3K on a daily basis. :eek:

I don't think I would be crazy to assume that it may cost even more per night in an eastern states hotel, and more PAX at that too.

The amount of overnights has nothing to do with crew bases. It has a whole lot to do with sector legths, turn around times and the strict CAO 48.1 adherence (ie no exemption). That is to say it is not possible to have all traingular routes to get people home everynight efficiently. Apart from efficient use of crew there are other benefits to DJ too, such as no problems with dissent between bases ie your base gets better/worse rosters than ours, centralised training and reserve coverage etc etc.

This sytem has its pros and cons but generally the majority are happy.

Thanks Sprucegoose for the info. Just another thing. Are the overnights concurrent, ie: do you go away for 4 nights, then 3 days off, or are the overnights all single nights away ? Or does it all just vary depending on the month ?

Don't take everything you read from Spruce as indicitive of how all the troops feel. Yes, there are some whingers in our midst, and despite most of us just doing our job and getting on with it, don't take our percieved silence to mean that everything is great. An old saying about Rose Tinted Glasses springs to mind when I read some of Spruce's comments regarding life at DJ, and knowing where Spruce was previously I'm sure he HAS seen worse, but there are A LOT of things that need attention at DJ with rostering being the biggest issue, by far.

Well it varies a bit as one would imagine. For example I have just come home from a four day trip. I now have 2 reserve days and 2 days off followed by another 2 day trip. I think if one were to examine the rosters over the last few months you would see an increase in general in the length of a trip in terms of days away but an improvement in the number of days off in a row at home. Remember, we are only guarenteed 8-9 days off at home a month. There is a benefit to our pilot group, though some of the stodgy dudes won't see it this way, in adopting the exemption to CAO48. If we were able achieve greater utilization of a crew while they were on the road then there would be room to allow us more days off in a month at home. It is rather more complicated than just that but the productivity under CAO48 is needlessly **** poor.

As for other bases, well the OFFICIAL line seems to be none for now. We had a reasonabley good presentation some time back from the person in charge of rostering and the explanation revolved around the fact that just because you have, say, 65 crew in MEL every night and then decide to make MEL a base doesn't mean that those crew won't end up overnighting somewhere else in the system and so on. All the facts elude me now but the argument was credible. As far as I am concerned there is one base and if someone chooses to live elsewhere and commute well its their business. I've done it in the past and it's hard work. Easier to live where the crew base is. VB does have a handful of crews who were told in the very early days that they would be based in in SYD or MEL and it didn't work out that way. As far as I know they get what is called "commuters rights" and the company provides them with a seat between BNE and the city they were told they would be based in originally. I think thats pretty fair, probably 99.999999999% of all other airlines would have told them "tough titties". Still if you project out a few years to a company with 700 or so pilots and God knows how many cabin crew covering what will be quite an extensive network then another base isn't to hard to imagine.

I understand there may be an agreement with the QLD Government for all crew to be based in QLD, something to do with the payroll tax exemption and other benefits.

In view of the rapid expansion by Virgin Blue I would expect to see some further crew bases at some stage in the future.

I THINK that agreement was related to payroll tax consessions and it was for a limited period of time only.

Albert, you need to chill. Rome wasn't built in a day and if the idiot that left that unsigned letter in most of our pigeon holes last week is closer to the mark than I am then I pitty those of you that take THAT point of view and tone. I never said there weren't issues to be addressed at anytime, anywhere. But I see now some hothead beating a drum which seems altogether out of place and misguided and he hasn't got the balls to or the spine to sign the document. The colour of my glasses is my choice and I have far better things to get upset about in my life than some of the trivial issues here at VB that can be resolved with perseverence. Remember it is going to take a change to the CAO48 flight and duty time limits as they stand for us now to achieve any significant improvement in the state of the roster. The problem there is not all one sided. If you really want something to get worried about then check your "six" for a bloke with the initials CC.

Hey Sprucie, I'm not on anyone's "six"! How'd I get dragged into this? :p

If in doubt....run.

Gday again Spruce,

I know the OFFICIAL line is that there is no plans for a second crew base at this time,however,many in your ranks have UNOFFICIALLY suggested that either MEL or ADL bases are on the cards,perhaps mid-late 2003.Any truth in this or purely speculative?

I wouldn't know to be sure but ADL is the preferred option from he who runs the place. MEL is the preferred option from those who live there by choose and commute to BNE. ADL makes more sense because it is geographically central and allows crews to be flown north, east, west with the greatest chance of minimal overnighting as you can out and back to ADL on more trip pairings than MEL. That is entirely my opinion and not one that has been reflected from any other quarter. Also ADL is not a major hub for QF thus it allows VB a chance to be the dominant carrier in time from that port. Who knows. And to be honest those of us here at VB shouldn't be to worried about it either. I can just see all the MEL commuters now when ADL is opened up instead of MEL!

Do you think Virgin will ever push for Sydney basings in the near future?

I don't know. I rather think its to close to BNE to be effective economically given the way our route flying is structured.

Cheers Spruce!:D

Whilst in Aus I was told Corrigan and his people are starting to force change in Virgin Blue. The terminal issue is one example.

Corrigan apparently made public comment on the terminal matter through frustration and told the someone at Virgin Blue to get their act together and stop dicking around.

I understand the player in particular has his nose out of joint due to perceived (outside) interference with his play thing.

It would appear the honeymoon period at Virgin Blue is over with a few grumblings due to the growth pains. I guess the next stage is an AFAP campaign for a salary and conditions increase.

With the purchase of the ex AN National Operations Centre and associated facilities I guess MEL will figure sooner rather than later in the Virgin Blue expansion plans.

There could be some truth in that B727......check yer six.