Shortshortz, what's an "open-time system"?

Jetstar speak for 75% part time. The resultant OT threshold for block hours is 56hrs.

Ah, right, thanks mate.
Well, I guess it's still a sad fact of life that folks get paid different wages for flying the same machinery.
The situation is unlikely to change with new EBAs, as the Q juggernaut negotiators are ruthless.

As SLF, I much prefer Le Bus, to the Boeing. Nice to see them go this way.

Ones a full service airline, with narrow selection criteria, long lead times to command and promotion.

The other is a low cost airline, short lead times to command and promotion and a wider selection criteria.

So six years at JQ to command wages (precovid) of a 200k+ job, or 15 years sub 200k at mainline as a narrow body FO or SO, then maybe 5 years as a wide body FO, before choosing a bigger wide body or a narrow body command.

At the end of a 35 year career, you may find that the JQ pilot will be ahead in total earnings. I don’t have time to work out it. But it won’t be far off.

6yr command was what it was about 2yrs ago. It’s funny flying with cadets who roll their eyes in sigh saying it took them 6 long yrs to get a command, most of them don’t have a clue! JQ commands will blow well out to 10yrs+ for a new joiner- we have a young CPT group not to many at retirement age and the ones that are, are keen to keep going.

As for the money- One is an airline the other is a LCC it is what it is. If you want to earn Airline money go work for one. For me, I like JQ the flying is great, variety is good.

LLC vs an 'airline'?? WTF are you trying to say, man?
If you're talking full service, full price 'airline', then what of Network and Cobham? Folks booking a QF ticket on the system from Per to BME will still pay top Qantas dollar.
no LLC there.

Regional airlines.

LCC v Legacy, fact of the matter is you can always expect LCC to be paid less than a Legacy carrier.

Hmmm.
 

Not necessarily…. It’s not like that for Southwest Airlines in the USA is it?…. I heard they’re the highest-paid 737 pilots in the world.🤔

Interestingly management don't have the same expectation.

Well become a manager then

Low cost equals quicker time to command but less money when you get it. Legacy airline equals longer time to command but more money when you switch seats.

The main factor is age at joining, if you're early 20s then being in QF would put you ahead. Late 30s and JQ would be more lucrative.

I really don’t think that fast commands are still a thing at JQ. As previously mentioned, the fleet size is approaching its natural limit, the existing captain cohort is younger than airline average. QF had a lost decade without hiring or promotions. The demographics there are much in favour of the new joiner because the airline appears to be expanding and the retirements will soon accelerate. I imagine a new hire at QF could get a SH command* in ten years, or a right seat on a senior LH type which may be as lucrative anyway.

*Assumes industrial status quo. Assumes QF group revenue recovery sometime soon. Also assumes wet markets don’t cough up another pathogen anytime soon. All big, unsafe assumptions.

Not even close.....

At the moment 19-22 years depending on base. It may come down in the future, but 10 years?

Tell him he’s dreaming.....

Its 19-22 years right now because of the demographics. You write some of the only posts worth reading in this site so you are plenty smart enough to know that nothing lasts forever. There is a ten year unoccupied gap on the career progression ladder. The last person above that gap will indeed be circa 20 years. The next person not so much.

At the moment, yes it’s a long time to command. Yes, there will be demographic changes. And some who were at the start of the 2016-2020 recruiting wave will have a shorter time to career goals than most. They may even come close to getting a command within 10 years. But I don’t think it will become a regular thing for all entrants into the company. Upswings are usually followed by downswings.

Overall in a Legacy carrier with most LH cruise relief pilots employed as Second officers you could expect what 20% of your career SO, 40% as FO 40% as Captain? If you have a 40 year career that’s still at least 20 years in standard times before getting a command.

Quick commands can come around when there’s great expansion, like almost doubling the fleet in two years when the 747-300 and 767 were introduced in the mid 80s, plenty of commands achieved in record time for those at the start of that wave. But that now would mean looking at an additional net 120 aircraft coming in a short amount of time.

But hey, at least we’re talking expansion, recruitment and potentially quicker commands rather than redundancies and stand downs!

I got a good chuckle out of this nonsense. Tell me, are they still telling new recruits on day 1 at mainline that they're 'the best of the best'?

I've been offered a job by both entities and I've got some bad news for you kid, there ain't nothing special about the 'width of the selection criteria' at Qantas. You lot are just as dumb as the rest of us.

How long have you been in aviation? If you were flying in the last century you'd know farming out or otherwise changing the deal is precisely what "they" will try to do at every opportunity and a new fleet is as good an opportunity as it gets. Look up something called Project Sunrise which is a working title for an attempt at changing conditions. "They" rely on the good and unsuspecting nature of the masses not to see the pineapple on its way.

When looking into demographics, those arriving for an interview in around 10 years will spend probably no more than 5 years waiting for a command at the Star. Would be much longer still at Mainline however it wouldn’t be 20 years. Whilst the age in the left seat at the Star skews much younger, they are more likely to pack up for another job later on vs the other 2. Cadets with 4 bars now, won’t be able to sit still for the next 20-30 years at a loco. I recall the youngest VA Captain was mid 40s so mid next decade the entire QF and VA 737 ranks are retired.


So those getting the first GA job in the next couple of years shouldn’t have too many issues on the job front when the time for big stuff arrives in a decade.

The days of long waits for commands will be a thing of the past once the tail end of Gen Y, and then Gen Z start to take the industry off our hands. Purely as there will be very little pilots left, and a whole heap of retirements. However, those two generations don’t want to be Pilots by the looks of things, many more attractive industries now available to them.