Ferris

You hit the nail on the head. As with EK and most other employers here, they all say the right things, but the reality is usually different.

What is a bit unusual is that they put an add on the same page as their anti discrimination policy, that proves they tell the odd porky. I am sure there are a few more where that one came from.

Experience would tell me to view this company with the same healthy suspicion as I do with every other company in the UAE, until proven otherwise.

Cop U Later

The Rev

Pilots are a tough bunch

In reply to a few posts back: Captain Salary $US 7500 Plus flight allowance. This includes housing. F/O Salary $US 5,900.

When I posted earlier that there are no locals running the show, it is interesting how everyone jumps to their own conclusions based on how they see the world.

There are no Emirates nationals in places of management simply beacuse they are nationals. There are arabs and non arabs in all sorts of positions, including ; flight ops, finance, IT, manitenance.

I am sorry to dissapoint the cynics amongst you. Healthy suspicion is one thing, but making statements an unfounded assumptions is another.

There sure are problems, including ticketing, web bookings and so on. But lessons are being learned fast.

On the pilot pay issues, the schooling and housing are very low and not compatible with the reality in the UAE. These we have been told are being looked at.

Also no pension plan, and no savings program of any sort. Medical insurane is completely inadequate.

These are the facts as they stand today.

Let you know if anything changes.

From UAE Gulf News(18/11)second A320 in service

15 destinations by 2005
 

Interview with Donald Hubbard - Fin Dir interview

Perhaps my CEO..(Qatar Airways CEO-AAB) could be sent to Sharjah to get some training and tips on "people manegement" from Airarabia CEO!!

Air Arabia unveils starting fares
 

From the UAE "Gulf NEws"(14/12):

"Air Arabia, the UAE's national airline and the first low-cost airline of its kind in the region, yesterday unveiled its starting fares and explained the dynamics of its fare structure.

"We are committed to offering the lowest possible market fares at any given date to any destination," claimed Adel Ali, CEO.

Air Arabia's starting fares vary according to destination. A one-way ticket from Sharjah starts at Dhs 159 to Bahrain, Dhs 222 to Kuwait, Dhs 99 to Muscat, Dhs 199 to Beirut, and Dhs 310 to Damascus - excluding government taxes, which vary from country to country.

The fares are all quoted one way to allow customers the flexibility to choose their return destination at their convenience.

The way the fares are structured depends on market supply and demand, Ali explained. Hence, fares increase as seats are sold on every flight. Accordingly, the earlier a passenger books, the more likely it is that they will pay the 'starting' fare.

The adoption of a 'ticketless' airline concept also results in saving on paper and processing costs, and less hassle for the customer, who need not worry about collecting tickets, as well as omission of free in-flight meals.

Air Arabia flies to Bahrain, Beirut, Damascus, Kuwait and Muscat. The projected destination list will cover: Amman, Cairo, Colombo, Doha, Isfahan, Shiraz and Tehran, Sanaa and Saudi Arabia.

Bookings can be made through the call centre, the website www.airarabia. com, or appointed travel agents."

Air Arabia
 

Haven't heard much talk on this new start up with regards to the usual issues, pay and working conditions and growth. Are there planes full? and are they hiring. Any hints to left seat time? Some must have a little insider to add.

Thanks

320guy

Air Arabia to acquire two more Airbus A-320s
 

From Gulf News

Air Arabia
 

Went back 100 days and found no threads on Air Arabia. Anyone have any input on working conditions (A320) and hiring process?
Thanks!


(Went further back and found some info from last year. Anything new to tell?)

airarabia
 

this is their captain package

Remuneration (Dhs.):Base Salary: 21000
Housing Allowance: 4500
Transport Allowance 500
Flying Allow (Fixed) 1500
Duty Allow: @ 30 Dhs./duty hour
Overtime payment 300Dhs/hour

Schooling Allowance: 50% of the actual cost of tuition fees for three children betwee ages of 4 to 18 not exceeding Dhs.1600/- per month per child.

Thanks, 320 star!

Any scoop on the interview process?

info
 

where is the base ?
how to apply?

Not that I'm an expert, but I believe the crews are based in Sharjah, UAE which is about 10 KM down the street from Dubai.

Send CV to [email protected]

Website gives a few details: www.airarabia.com


Can anyone shed light on the actual interview process at Air Arabia?

Doesn't look to promising for those without current time on type or those who are over 50. Maybe one day my resume will look attractive to someone?!?! ;)

Trouble at Air Arabia
 

The latest middle East startup is having much trouble. It is fast becoming a typical poorly run airline.
During a recent converstaion with a close friend on the inside it is sounding like all is not well.
No Schedueller on duty and pilots and flight attendants have to get the duty on a daily basis. Rumor is that they get calls in the middle of the night to operate flight in the early morning.

All management posts held by ex GF, and all know how great that airline is, so great it is going out of business!!!!!!!!!!

Favoritism and inequality are rampant.

Unqualified Flight OPs management do not have a clue and are doing nothing but putting out fires that they started.

Few pilots that they have are already looking elsewhere for jobs, and just biding their time.

Shame really cause first low cost in middle East obviously eyed by all as a model, instead turning into fiasco.:}

If you got your info about Arabia in the same place as your info on Gulf Air then I think you should go back to the pub. At least sober up before your next post! What a load of nonsense. I know its a rumor network but this is taking liberties. None of the above is even remotely true. Honest!

vfenext, you need to do a bit more research. Everything that Sidestick has said is true and more.

Management is all ex-GF but the pilots aren't treated as nice as at GF, because management says it is "low cost". Upgrade plan is a joke, welcome to "Gulf Air Lite". Over half the pilots are looking elsewhere and are sending out CV's now, both Capts and FOs. Too Bad

Windshear Ahead VFENEXT
 

VFENEXT Pls explain why you think this is rumor if people inside the company are saying this. just to damage their otherwise perfect Airline. I know for a fact that one Captain flew more than 100 hrs of flit time in one calendar month. Reason, management never planned for number of flights. Welcome to Gulf Area management.

Like all other great airlines such as this, no planning.

Did you know that Rosters are not computerized and people are asked to keep track of their own FTLs.

Etihad on the other hand looks like an airline to watch. Slowly building a positive reputation.

As for the PUB bit, I think maybe you should take your head out of where it is buried. You sound just like the rest of the guys running the show over there pretending all is hunky Dory, while it is spinning out of control.

I had heard that the CEO was a great guy, and this was from one of the pilots there. Seems things change. Maybe the pressures of the job.

I know the CEO of the company and I think that he will not let the airline go down the tubes.

Problem is maybe like many people in his shoes he does not grasp the details of what is goind on around him. He tries not to be a micreo manager from what I konw. But maybe he should start doing something.

The general comments from the crew do not inspire much confidence.

Talking to some of the GF guys, he was pretty useless and also had no idea about what was going on for the 1.5 or so years he was there. Any truth to that (I would rather have views from people other than GF guys as well)? Could this be the reason he is also having problems with Air Arabia?

It all sounds so familiar - a promising start then the airline gets into the wrong hands and its then a downward spiral. Of course the money is there to keep everything going despite the incompetance of the senior management (QR good example).
When will they learn??.....

That begs another question. I heard that QR lost over $400M last year. If they continue to keep the yields down, they will never make money, not now, not in 100 years. The losses will continue to increase as the airline expands. For how long will the Qatar government keep on paying (the same applies to Air Arabia)?

Quick answer
 

Sent my CV last weekend and received an answer on monday, asking to fill out the application form and send it pack asap. Eighter they need pilots urgently or recruitment bureau is really well organized.
Has someone hold an interview already?

Dani

They will hire DECs over 50. And currency on the A320 doesn't seem to be a factor. I'm over 50 and now current only on the 767, and they invited me to interview.

Just talked to a couple friends that work there the other day and they say that flight ops is a mess. Several pilots have resigned and many more are close to putting their releases in as they are looking for any other job. One captain even just packed his bags and left the country in disgust. They are averaging 100 hrs a month and have NO schedule, finding out what they are doing one to two days at a time! I thought that was amazing as they have been going for almost a year.

One of my buds is even going to sit for the last two month of the year as hes running out of hours. Those getting hired now are probably going to work even harder to cover the timed out pilots!

If you want to work for Air Arabia just remember one phrase and one phrase alone " UAE is straight in RWY (insert appropriate RWY here) available", then if response is negative, you must respond with "Why not the wind is light and variable", to which you should expect ATC to respond "Oh I am sorry, I forgot you are the only aircraft in the sky".

It must be printed in bold lettering in the cockpit to ask for straight in runway on first contact with UAE, a bit like it pops up on the McDonalds register after every order "Would you like fries with that?". It's wearing very thin.

Thin?... why do you care?
 

Ok, Are you a pilot? Or do you just not agree that it is good airmanship to try and save flying an extra 20 NM when it isn't necessary and poses no infringement of safety or SOP?

And by the way: yes we usually are the only aircraft going into SHJ. The only reason ATC sometimes cannot accomodate the straight-in is departures from DXB that would conflict with us.

If you ever fly into Halifax you will see that there, you can get any of the 4 runways available to you, and usually ATC has no problem with it, eventhough they have many, many more movements then SHJ.

Asking for a straight in is just normal business. ATC doesn't seem to mind, and if it's not possible they'll tell you. Simple.:ok:

S.I.
You wouldn't be a former Nova pilot with Air Arabia...would you? hire date jan 15,01 at another location?
:ok:
Just wondering
:p

Straight-In

Good work on ya mate.

Good airmanship is putting safety first. How many times must ATC's put up with these type of 'nuisance' requests when they are busy? You may consider that by you saving 20nm you win but have you ever considered that an ATC tries (with the resources available to him) to save each and every aircraft on frequency a mile or 2. By you jumping in and blocking valuable frequency time you are disrupting the ATC's thought process. Give the ATC's the time to do their job and you may end up scoring in the process.

Consider that there are others on frequency. Also consider that an ATC has to consider what is about to come on frequency i.e. pending departures and arrivals, what may sound like a quiet frequency one minute can explode the minute you are transferred to the next unit. In these scenarios the ATC is considering the safest options in order to get the job done.

Do not compare one airport or associated airspace with another. Procedures is what guides our industry. Yes Halifax may do things differently but you have to consider the resources available in order to make it happen, airport layout, local and national regulations and not to forget international SARPS.

Blocking the frequency with 'just normal business' is short sighted and naive. ATC do allow straight in approaches when the situation suits them not the pilot.

So in the end it is not really that simple.

Cheers.

Radar Pete,

I agree with most of your post, thats why I said "if it's not possible, they'll tell you".

However I don't think asking a quick question is "disrupting" their thought process. By the time you ask the question most controllers will already know wether they can accomodate the request or not, that's their job to know.

I just don't think its a big deal.

Cheers.

Cabin crew enquiry
 

Would any of you guys mind getting back to me with info on
Air Arabia hiring cabin crew.

I can find no reference to cabin crew recritment on their site.
sent off a resume and pic this evening to the recruitment e-mail address.
Wondering if they hire male crew and any age limitation.
They say on their website they hire the best applicant for the job regardless of age, colour or creed... hmmm I wonder? :} :} :}

Thanks in advance

Air Arabia T+C's?
 

Just a quick question for info on the avarage pay package with air arabia for FO's? Thinking of a move down that direction and the thought of setting up shop in Dubai does interest me!! The rents however don't look any better when I convert them to euro or USD!!

Tried the usual searches on pprune and ppjn.com but no joy!!
Just average figures would do,monthly take home etc... Just to figure out if I'd have anything left to buy a drink at the end of a week!!

:ok:
Deep Stall

Hi there,

Just a question. Do they or did they have offer job to low time pilots but who will pay the A320 TR?

Thanx

Flaps 15% :cool:

I applied with 250 hrs on type and never received an answer. This does not necessarily mean that they do not take low timers. You could apply and see. But I think they want experienced pilots (they even increased min.req. from 500 to 800 hrs on type lately). I wonder if they are succesful in hiring...

There was an accurate breakdown of the salary in a previous AA thread. Just do a search and you should find it.

Cheers.

Air Arabia changes the limits
 

Just heard from a friend of mine across the emirate that Air Arabia applied for and received an extension to the 900 hours a year rule. They can now do up to 970 hrs per year. This is probably because they can’t find anybody to hire and only started hiring 6 months to late.

They supposedly have the worst of parts of all of the Middle East contracts, and after one year in business the guys still have no roster. They find out what they are doing the next day, just the night before. The only way to get days off is to fly up to some of the legal limits, but I guess the company just get permission to change the limits to suit the companies needs.

After only a year they have lost 6 out of 30 pilots, a couple giving no notice, just pack and go in frustration....

Rumors are just rumors, what is the point of your post?

That Air Arabia is another disorganized start up airline?

gasp

the shock

Someone should honestly make a post as to the airline out there that is perfectly organized and hiccup free.

Wink Wink,

Rumours are indeed just rumours and this after all is the Professional Pilots Rumour Network.

Thanks for the info A318, interesting to hear that they have an extension to 970hrs, that's got to be tough on the guys.

:cool: Guys... At EK, if a pilot operates exclusively ultra-long haul with double augmentation (4 pilots), one could fly 150 hours per month!