madeinjamrock

Hello Everyone,

Anyone know when AC will start hiring outsiders?

I keep hearing 30 a month for this year. All I know for sure is that they have taken one or two from WestJet/Encore.

Thanks!

peekay4

Air Canada has an agreement that they will hire 80% of their pilots from Express partners, mainly Jazz. I believe they are hiring 20 pilots a month. That means on average they will hire 4 "outsiders" per month.

pfvspnf

Is is generally intake for 787 relief FO?

altiplano

AC is taking 300 this year.

They aren't obliged to maintain the 80% from regionals. They will take a chunk but I doubt they will take 80, by the end of the year it will be getting pretty thin.

New hires are getting RP 787/777, FO EMJ/320/767 soon 737.

Seniority to upgrade to EMJ captain available at about 1 year. 320 captain at about 3 or 4...

bafanguy

"Seniority to upgrade to EMJ captain available at about 1 year. 320 captain at about 3 or 4... "

altiplano,

That's pretty good advancement for a legacy carrier. How does one explain that ? What's the mandatory retirement data for Air Canada...losing a large percentage of the seniority list in the next few years ?

gasbag1

With the change in retirement age in 2013 there is a group of pilots who will soon get to 64 in age and have to decide to retire or become a R/P or narrow body F/O, if they wish to stay. I sure one or two will but most will retire and come off various widebodies. Those retirements cause a large ripple effect throughout the system in training moves.

Lots of training required plus there are some that retire prior to 65 as well. The quicker advancement is in YYZ or YUL but not in YWG or YVR. And 2 new types into the fleet.

Career advancement is improving at AC.

madeinjamrock

I heard the outsiders need a minimum of a 4 degree or be ex military - any truth to this?

altiplano

There are many factors, but I think it's mostly because the junior narrowbody schedules are so ****ty.

Kelvin LeSueur

"There are many factors, but I think it's mostly because the junior narrowbody schedules are so ****ty." I would think that most junior blocks at any airline are not the best. As it turns out, the real reason is there has been little movement on the Air Canada seniority list for the past 5 years but that will soon change as a lot of pilots start turning 65 the end of this year.

Iver

How will the incoming CS300s impact future hiring? Will they just be replacing E190s or will they provide a lot of incremental seats up front? Will they also replace the A319s at Rouge?

altiplano

"The real reason is there has been little movement for the past 5 years"

That makes no sense Kelvin.

No the real reason is it's that bad being on the bottom here... guys with a little more seniority would rather go to widebody FO or rouge Captain... plus you only get so many equipment bids now... guys are saving them for something better than the BOTL.

gasbag1

In any seniority based airline it's always bad on the bottom but there is better advancement now than in the past decades. Opportunities in the left seat are there I would agree, because limited bids and lifestyle etc. Commuters rarely take lower seniority positions for obvious reasons, leaving them open for others with less seniority. AC has lot's of commuters.

The thread is about AC hiring, they are to be doing that for the foreseeable future and there will many choices made available depending on one's priorities if hired.

Kelvin LeSueur

Retirements dropped by 80% five years ago when the retirement age was changed from 60 to 65. Now the retirements should be returning to the normal levels. Why does that not make sense?

altiplano

Because they are still here...

madeinjamrock

I heard the outsiders need a minimum of a 4 degree or be ex military - any truth to this???

peekay4

Jobs at majors are highly competitive. If you don't have qualifications well above the stated requirements (total hours, pic/multi/turbine time, education, etc.) then you're going to be at a big disadvantage compared to other applicants who have all those things.

bafanguy

"Because they are still here... "

altiplano,

Does that mean people are staying beyond 65 by down grading from the LHS ? They have that option, right ?

[down here, in the Olde Days, people could only bump back to F/E...then that seat disappeared eliminating the option]

How is retirement income calculated for the AC pilots ? Some "look back" calculation where staying beyond 65 for very long could actually cost them money in the long run by lowering the income base ?

Any reliable-source data about how many are turning 65 each year...or how many leave pre-65...or stay post-65 ?

altiplano

The first 65s will come after December this year.

Most have stayed past 60 at this point and retirements at this point are barely a trickle.

- so much for ideas of the average age being forecast to 62 or whatever that was when the 60 rule was taken out -

If any stay past 65 we will find out... I think they have to be an RP or something though... Their pensions would be more than the paycheque as an RP so why they would stay is anyone's guess.

But these guys staying on at the top are a strange bunch who seem to have difficulties letting go... blessed 40 year careers aided by the rest who built it, came and left before them, unfortunately they sucked it up and now they're burning it down so they can fit the ashes in a box and take it with them... It wouldn't surprise me one bit if they stayed on to wait for ICAO to change the limit to 67 or 70 or something...

Their X wives would probably get the pension anyway I suppose, so I guess we'll count on them staying... Fly til you die indeed...