CONGRATULATIONS SYLPHIE!! :D

I read the entire thread from last year about Virgin Blue recruitment and had followed your journey back then and the journey of a few other hopefuls who now have a position with DJ, and it's really good to hear that you've finally achieved your dream! Well done.

I was reading that thread and getting a lot of tips and advice for my VRD which has come and gone (on the 27 Sept), and unfortunately I didn't get through - but I've learnt a lot from that day, mainly that I need to be a LOT more assertive in the group activity and be far less Mr. Nice-Guy when it comes to waiting my turn to speak! Two ladies who seemed to talk over everyone else and not give anyone else a chance to speak, actually got THROUGH! :mad:

I have a Jetstar assessment centre coming up on the 16th of this month so I'll take the experience with Virgin onboard and hopefully go one better with JQ. If I get in with them, well at least I'll be armed with some cabin crew experience to reapply with Virgin next year - which I'll certainly be doing no matter what! :E

Once again, congrats Sylphie and good luck with the training! You'll do great :ok:

My first post!

But not the first time i have been here! i must say that so much of what is written all over this site helped me on my VBRD back on September 25th! BIG THANKS to everyone that posted info and awesome tips!
I made it all the way through the day, with my references being called the next day and getting the phone call to go for my medical less than 48 hours after i left the interview in Melbourne! I was a very excited!

However, i havent heard a peep from Virgin Blue since Sept 27th.
Is it normal to wait this long after the medical is done? the nurse and doc that did my medical said it was all good!!!???

SO i guess my two questions are:

1. Does anyone know if there any ground schools slated for Melbourne in November?
2. Is it normal to not hear anything for a while after the medical?

Thanks thanks thanks!
Everyone has been great!

Hi Flying High

In response to your question about ground schools starting in Melbourne there is one starting on the 5th November. There are plenty more planned so you may get called for one starting later in November or 1st week of December.

Good luck im sure you will get the call very soon.

Cheers
SocialFlyer

Hi from another wannabe!
 

Hi there, have just been reading through the posts for an upcoming recruitment day and the tips are fantastic! Is anyone going through the recruitment process at the moment? It sounds like the waiting part is harder than the actual day! I have recruitment day coming up in November and am already so nervous! :{

Good luck to everyone trying to crack into this job! And I so envy the people that are currently living their dream!! ;)

BG

Management have caved in and are keeping us on the current work rules for the next 12 months + 3% pay rise backdated to Sep 01.
Good news as far as I'm concerned. I couldnt imagine having to do 12 hour shifts, 5 or 6 sectors, MEL-PER-MEL trips, etc.
Common sense prevailed and the 89% who said no to the EBA finally got what they wanted.
:D

HELP! very confused :S
 

hey guys!
just wondering if anyone out there can help me with some advice!
i'm currently working as a flight attendant for REX ( Regional Express) but have been offered a job wif jet*.. however i dont know if i should make the move because ive been reallly looking forward to trying to get into VB! From what ive heard jetstar cabin crew don't do over nites and hence the pay sounds slightly less than that of VB! soo what do you all think i should do?! make the move to JQ or hang out and try my luck at VB?

Much thanks. =)

Hi Sharz87

Look i can't speak for working for Jetstar because I have never worked for them myself, but I work for Virgin Blue and I can tell you it's a great place to work, and the money is great. There are alot of REX crew who have moved to Virgin and Virgin love them because of the skills they have developed to manage a cabin solo, work independent, and deal with a range of issues that arise due to working in a solo environment.

With regards to overnights you can expect to get 10 - 15 a month with Virgin, and lately all the rosters have been trips we rarely do day trips, its always overnighting. So i guess you need to figure out if you want to be way alot, or work for Jet star where you always get to be at home.

Another thing Virgin is expanding sooooo much in the next 12 months that there are so many opportunities, within 6 months you can get Cabin Supervisor especially someone like yourself who has prior experience.. Furthermore, with International starting that is always an option as well.

Good Luck.. Go VIRGIN, im biased though..

hi socail flyer!
wow thanks soo much 4 ur advice!
yea virgin is definately where i wanna be..but i still feel bad passing up such a huge oppertunity like jetstar! i am very fortunate to receive such an offer and the risk being that if i don't take it and rather sit and wait for virgin i still may not even make it thru Virgins' recuitment process!

Juss a quick question do you have any ideas when the next recuitment would be? correct me if im wrong but is there is a ground happening at the moment?! i have a "blue star" referal so i dunno if that would help in getting me an interview?

thanks again
=)

vb is better
 

socialflyer is right
part of the reason most fly is the social part
dta can make up income tax free, none on j*,
or at least very little

ground school
 

Hi Sharz!

There is a ground school going ahead on dec 5th, and the only reason i know this is because i will be going to it! its in Melbourne though... hope this helps!

Oh also, I interviewed in september, and was told back then than the novemeber ground school was full... so it will be just over 2 months from the day of my intervoew to when i start training!
Very excited though!!!:D

Overstaffed!!!!!!!!
 

What is going on with rostering in BNE? in the last four weeks I have done one four day trip and that is it!!!! I had days off, the AVL days did not get called.. then days off then again 1APT and four AVL days. didnt get called again. My next Duty is a two day trip on Friday.. another week off..

Great if you have something at home. But I am the opposite to other crew I like going to work, there just is none!!! AAAAARRGGGHHHHH

Rosters
 

Hey Chris,

Sounds odd. In Melbourne I have the total opposite, all 4 day trips and only 2x2 available days between that. Most the crew of spoken to have all trips.. Perhaps it's just a bad month for you. I'm sure next month you will get pumped.

Cheers SocialFlyer

November is traditionally a quiet month, plus Brisbane has just had loads of crew come online in the last 6 months. At the moment Brisbane is probably a bit over-crewed, in preparation for crew doing E-Jet training... December/January will pick up again - here comes UMNR season!!! :8

I hear you! I have hardly any overnights for November...I have never seen so many airports ever in my roster...would be ok if people were getting called, but they're not! So far I've had 7 days off straight because I've had 3x airports and 2 x AVLs then days off! and the same thing is coming up again at the end of this month!

Lets hope with the new bidding system due to come in very shortly that it'll let us do what they say it will...pick the length of our trips!! Great for those who want to be away lots. Plus the option to bid for pairings with a friend will be great!

A friend does not have a rostered flying duty for the first half of the month, more APT than you can poke a stick at though. 3 overnights, and hasnt flown in over a week...

Meanwhile, I have about 2 AVL and no APT this month, same as last month... with 9 overnights and a few red eyes...

I had a couple of rosters earlier on in the year where I hardly worked though... Luck of the draw I guess...

My collegues dont forget we are going to increase the size of our fleet by almost 50% next year. I realise that this is only 3 crew aircraft but that means an increase of cabin crew numbers by close to 700. While this is going on I expect to see a reduction in the number of hours flown for the first six months next year. So enjoy the good times while they last.
Mid next year you will also start seeing LH CC training commencing and if they need say 500 CC to operate the LH operation then another large number of domestic CC will be required by the end of 2008.
Then you have all the DM's, BM's, trainers, head office transfers, mums to be and those just generally unhappy.
So lets say next year VB needs to train about 2000 CC just to keep the domestic flying going.
If you cant get a job as cabin crew in 2008 in Australia then you must really need to re-asses what you want to do in life.

:ok:

Can anyone shed any light on whether there will be a SYD base opening up for DJ? Thanks in advance.

Exmax

I disagree, Wirgin - there are thousands of applications received every week - not everyone is going to be able to get a job as CC... I know some people who are so suited the role its incredible but can't get a job - and I know others who really are not suited to the role but do have it - and really should re-consider their employment...

I agree re the expansion though, here's hoping more people who really want the job are able to get in :ok:

CS after six months - what a joke!
 

Dont know where to post this and as I never get called out I am bored so I will just write it in here.
I just flew with a new crew memeber (seven months with no previous flying experience) nice enough kid, really good intentions, looks pretty however I wish management would stop feeding these kids this rubbish that they can be a Cabin Supervisor after six months! its rubbish. Just because they meet the behaviours and not afraid to write propels does not make them good leaders when **** hits the fan. I aksed him if he had ever had a medical on-board, put someone on oxygen, had to PA for a doctor or nurse, ever been in a rejected landing or take off and the answer was of course NO. Granted some of those things will not happen all the time and it might be a while before any of it does.
He did a development flight and acted up on the last day of the trip and of course we had a medical. He had no idea, was useless in fact got in the way. Of course if its your first then nerves etc will get in the way I remember mine when a man was passed out in the front galley - I had no idea. My point I guess is that if management keep on pushing this apply for CS after six months business there is going to be a serious consequences as they dont have the experience.
I know that I dont want to fly with any of them .

There are already new CS's online who have recently done their conversion after being online for just 6 months. While it's great that there is so much opportunity for promotion at the moment, I believe it should be a requirement of atleast 12 months online.
Most crew are feeling the same about these new CS's, and it has caused a few problems on trips with regards to crew who have been here for 7 years, showing respect etc for their authority figure onboard, who has been doing the job for 6 months , and who are essentially still learning something new everyday...but what can we do? I haven't heard anything about the training etc that these new CS's are going through, but perhaps management aren't relying so much on the CS's for crew development etc these days as they were in the past, and are using the CS role as someone who completes the necessary paperwork, counts the cash and makes the PA's...something which doesn't require that much experience.

What is the amount of time required online as crew at other airlines before they can upgrade to a supervisor role?

Thoughts?

Sydney base is getting up and running in Feb next year, according to an unplugged session a couple of months back. Though it is a base to be built up slowly, so dont expect any massive recruitment drives to fill up the Sydney base.

As for the CS who has been flying all of a year, please dont patronise us in briefing by talking about what to do in a rejected take off or such scenarios unless you are able to tell us what you would do - and I mean tell us what you would do in your own words, not word for word from the manual. Being able to think outside the square should be the main critieria observed when selecting a CS.

New PBS
 

So we've been sent two emails now telling us that stage 1 of the new bidding system will be in place for bidding on the January roster, and that we should only bid for what we want, as the new system will do everything it can to make sure we get what we want... Do we think it's going to actually work? Lets hope so! Does anyone know what the extra bidding options are going to be that will be released with the next stage?

Oh and our new cabin bags have arrived...it's always fun to get something new! Now we need a whole new uniform to go with it! There's been lots of talk online about this...anyone know if it's actually going to happen?

Unfortunately not! Another email came out today saying that they are further delayed... I wonder whats happened?

Galley-FM reports that the bags are unable to stand up once they have any contents...

Anyone want 1500+ wheelie bags with balance problems? - going cheap!

Thats so typical of the company! These bags were being trialled online by a number of crew for months...and they still can't get it right!

Ahem. The decision on the bags would have hinged a great deal on the feedback and critique of the bags by the crew in question. If the trial was conducted by crew for months and this has happened (if it is true) then the feedback on the bags must have been inaccurate. It astounds and annoys me that fellow crew bitch and moan about decisions that they had been involved in. Crew meals is another that comes to mind.

Lets also not forget that it is possible that the bags have been not quite manufactured to the specifications given...

Either way its disappointing :(

Crew meals - I eat them! And I don't piss, moan or bitch about them...

Bags returned to manufacturer I believe as the stand on the bottom wasnt far enough forward to keep them up. The bags arent as big as I expected but at least we can walk along with one wheelie bag in either hand with our chests out. :O
Meals are still under discussion whether they stay or go with managment blaming the tax office and our allowances as the reason behind this. I know we get paid a DTA for that but we cant be expected to buy a sandwich off the cart everyday and I am sure some crew wouldnt even bother buying them if you know what I mean.
Good news is the payrise backdated to the 1st of Sept. A little bonus for us all before XMas.

:D

We will be wearing the current uniform for years to come. - That was straight from the Horses mouth - so to speak.

The uniform may have its flaws - but its part of the branding - there have been some subtle changes to it over the past 7 years - but we wont be getting a new uniform anytime soon. The cost of designing and implenting a complete new uniform for over 2000 staff is just way to expensive, and could be deemed a waste of money.

Although some crew dont think we look professional - therefore dont think we act professional - I think looking professional is a state of mind, think back to training - we're professionally trained - it cant be too hard to act that way.

From an outsiders point of view I have always liked the DJ uniform. The colours and design are great. It's not always so great wearing a scarf/tie everyday !

The only thing I would change about the DJ uniform is possibly the day bag/shoulder bag. It looks very 'uni student ' and perhaps a more professional image could be achieved with solid bag with the DJ logo.

Do the new wheelie bags have the DJ logo on them ? What colour are they and what do they look like ?

Safe landings guys ;)

The new wheelie bags are black, with a smallish Virgin Blue logo on the front.

All Cabin Crew have to give back their current shoulder bag before they will be given the new wheelie bag, so we will all soon be looking a little bit more professional with these new wheelie bags soon!

Have you submitted Safety/Hazard reports to the safety dept yourself? Don't rely on CC Management saying they will submit it on your behalf as it just may not get done... Apart from that perhaps if you're a union member contact the FAAA for further advice if the company isn't supporting you any further...hunching over with your back touching the cieling in the galley is insane!

V Australia
 

hi everyone

it is good to hear that V Australia will be recruiting early next year. I attended a VRD in October for domestic and i didnt get through, so therefore i cannot reapply until next october. I was wondering whether this also includes applying for V Australia as well?

Thanks :)

I too am 193cm or there abouts, and so far am not having any major issues height wise on the E170... the flight deck is a totally different story though! Admittedly I don't spend an awful lot of time in the rear galley, but so far I have been quite happy and comfortable working on it. The fwd galley feels roomier to me than some of our B737's - although it does have a serious lack of storage space, as does the rear galley!

quick question
 

hi everyone! :)
just wondering with the large recruitment happening next year with the introduction of the Embraer E170/E190 ejets does anyone know which base will be expected to have the largest intake? I'm a Melbourne girl however i am happy to move 2 brissy or the new Syd base if necessary I'm just curious where the majority of cabin crew openings will be?

I'd say heavy recruitment would be for a SYD base... plus for both MEL and BNE for those who want to head over to long haul - if it gets offered of course.

On that note... anyone know any info on VAustralia base/routes/layovers/pay/training schedule as yet?

Still no official word on V other than recruitment for CC will be in the first half of 2008. All you can do is express your interest and keep it updated.
The rest is rumour.
Since AWA's are on the way out I wonder what they will be able to negotiate as an EBA. It certainly would have to be better than Jetstar International you would imagine. Perhaps they might even set up an external business like QF are doing for there LH Aussie CC.
I hope that we get an opportunity to do a 18 month transfer similar to the VA exchange. I like the idea of being able to try LH then being able to return to SH when I/my family are sick of me doing LH.
Either way 2008 is shaping up as an interesting year for VB.

Hmmm... I doubt whether an international secondment for 18 months would be financially unfeasible for start up for either company... and yes you would hope that the conditions would be good otherwise plenty of VB crew longing for a long haul career could jump ship to QF Long Haul for $35k plus allowances (which is almost the same base rate as domestic crew now) with full QF benefits.

No doubt V Australia would be a great product and work environment... but financial benefits certainly need to be good too, I mean at least what is getting paid domestically now!

I heard recruitment for CC in Feb... tech crew are being called now, at the moment SYD-LAX is being tossed around and individual AWA contracts offered (which are still legal until Rudd changes laws in parliament next year)... but as well all know VB is very good at keeping their cards close to their chest.

Let me know your thoughts...

qf 'b' scale
$33475 p.a.
$7000 overtime (projected)
$16000 port allowances... based on 220-240 hours 8 week roster 7-8 lax trips on
the A380, operation to start 2nd half 2008.
no bid system
$2.60 per flying hour.
crew on A380 dedicated to that aircraft only
training pay $27810

non A380 flying expect less port allowances.
sick leave 10 days yr 1, 15 days yr 2

Hmmm.... looks a promising comparison for V Australia to base with.

http://www.faaa.net/EBA%20VIII/EBA8%...l%20Signed.pdf

You'll find the link to download the full EBA 8 proposal on the above link, or heading to the FAAA website and finding the link to the PDF. So the $2.60 per flying hour is similar to what the deal is at EK... and as such replaces the DTA that the current LHCC are entitled to. 6 weeks annual leave as well under this agreement... however nothing states whether staff travel benefits will actually exist for B scale crew?