Air Baltic
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Europe
Posts: 36
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I had a great time at airBaltic. If you plan on moving to Riga if you get hired, you'll have a great time. However, every form of commute will wear you down really fast.
Dash is one of the better types to be on when it comes to rostering, at least compared to F50. Great crews. Probably the best type chief pilot in the world!
But the scheme with paying for type and line training would make you obsolete in six months as there are other guys knocking on the door... Do not expect to be hired in that case. So if you are to spend your hard earned cash, is the Q400 the one to bet on?
Best of luck with your career!
Dash is one of the better types to be on when it comes to rostering, at least compared to F50. Great crews. Probably the best type chief pilot in the world!
But the scheme with paying for type and line training would make you obsolete in six months as there are other guys knocking on the door... Do not expect to be hired in that case. So if you are to spend your hard earned cash, is the Q400 the one to bet on?
Best of luck with your career!
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: FUBAR
Posts: 3,348
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
They have suffered a fairly massive attrition rate recently (particularly 737 RHS) so, it could at the end of your (assumedly? ) fixed period contract be a case of "last man standing" & an opportunity to continue, but of course safest to assume not.
Many of last years P2F on the 737 were invited back, some declined, as they found better paying/longer contracts.
Don't know if it is so easy to find something else on the Q400 (except in far flung lands) & obviously they will take a P2F next year instead of you.
They have been struggling a bit to crew the 737 lately, but don't know if they have enough applicants on Q400 to make "negotiation" impossible or not.
As others have said, commuting is difficult (even to Scandi-lands, although that, at least, is possible) but, Riga is a very nice place between now & October
& not so bad in Winter if you live close to the #22 bus-stop & a couple of good pubs 
I enjoyed my two times there, it is a shame they see pilots as seasonal employees, instead of writing a new programme of routes for Winter.
I think this year it is giving them hassle, maybe it will help it to change.
General prognosis for the company is very unclear, it seems to fluctuate between gloom & doom, and optimism, weekly.
Many of last years P2F on the 737 were invited back, some declined, as they found better paying/longer contracts.
Don't know if it is so easy to find something else on the Q400 (except in far flung lands) & obviously they will take a P2F next year instead of you.
They have been struggling a bit to crew the 737 lately, but don't know if they have enough applicants on Q400 to make "negotiation" impossible or not.
As others have said, commuting is difficult (even to Scandi-lands, although that, at least, is possible) but, Riga is a very nice place between now & October
& not so bad in Winter if you live close to the #22 bus-stop & a couple of good pubs I enjoyed my two times there, it is a shame they see pilots as seasonal employees, instead of writing a new programme of routes for Winter.
I think this year it is giving them hassle, maybe it will help it to change.
General prognosis for the company is very unclear, it seems to fluctuate between gloom & doom, and optimism, weekly.
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: on a rugby pitch
Posts: 736
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks chaps...
Really dont know what to do...
there is a number of companies flying the Q400 in europe but all seem to be pretty depressed recently...
Gotta think about it...
Thanks!
Really dont know what to do...
there is a number of companies flying the Q400 in europe but all seem to be pretty depressed recently...
Gotta think about it...
Thanks!
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: europe
Age: 46
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
seasonal employees? no new routes for the winter?...no future?
Let's take it into another perspective..the present CEO of Air Baltic used to be the CEO of MALEV in Hungary...which is gone now..and quite a few airlines are also stuggling..Austrian, SAS,CSA, LOT, Air Baltic....etc. The big companies in Europe (some are also struggling a little bit) are happy and releived that more and more smaller airlines are dead.
Would Lufthansa let a latvian to be their CEO? or a hungarian?
Let's take it into another perspective..the present CEO of Air Baltic used to be the CEO of MALEV in Hungary...which is gone now..and quite a few airlines are also stuggling..Austrian, SAS,CSA, LOT, Air Baltic....etc. The big companies in Europe (some are also struggling a little bit) are happy and releived that more and more smaller airlines are dead.
Would Lufthansa let a latvian to be their CEO? or a hungarian?
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: somewhere
Posts: 357
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Been invited for an assessment for Q400 type and line tr...looks good to me.
May I ask you what your background with BT is? Were you hold in the pool for a while? I have been told I was in a while ago, being BT not hiring for the 2011 winter. Then few more operators fell under the blows of recession and it has been very silent ever since.
Not eager to jump on the P2F grenade but if they get desperate enough to...negotiate...I might still be interested. Anyone else heard something from their HQs?
Regards
DK
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Europe
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Bombardier announced today that airBaltic has signed a letter of intent to acquire 10 CS300 aircraft and take purchase rights on a further 10 CS300 jetliners. The contract will be valued at approximately $764 million US, and could increase to $1.57 billion US should the 10 purchase rights be converted to firm orders.
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Lithuania
Posts: 129
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hello,
Do you know if AirBaltic needs FO for 757 fleet now flying in Cambodia? I heard such rumors from one of the 757 captain, tried to contact recruitment but no any answer as always. I don't have TR so probably no any chances anyway...
Do you know if AirBaltic needs FO for 757 fleet now flying in Cambodia? I heard such rumors from one of the 757 captain, tried to contact recruitment but no any answer as always. I don't have TR so probably no any chances anyway...
Last edited by Turbavykas; 21st Aug 2012 at 07:10.
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Currently San Diego
Posts: 74
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I will probably be doing the 737CL TR + LT during next year.
Has anyone here done this and can tell me a bit more?
I spoke with one guy who did this during 2011 and was offered a job when his contract ended but he ended up getting hired by Norwegian instead as they sent the papers faster.
Has anyone here done this and can tell me a bit more?
I spoke with one guy who did this during 2011 and was offered a job when his contract ended but he ended up getting hired by Norwegian instead as they sent the papers faster.
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: FUBAR
Posts: 3,348
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
They did in 2011 & 2012. Fortunately for them, a good proportion of the 2011 P2F guys found something else for 2012 so avoided being layed off (yet again) at the end of 2012. Of the guys they invited back in 2012 a high percentage had found something less "seasonal" so declined the offer. airB seem happy to continue like this, and, unlike some schemes , you did actually earn a salary, albeit not a good one, rather than being purely P2F. . but, that was 2011, don't know the exact deal now.
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Currently San Diego
Posts: 74
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
@captplaystation
I have had extensive contact with airBaltic during the last months on the subject.
They still give you a tiny salary during LT (300EUR/month) to be able to have a place to live at least.
The biggest downside as I see it is that they do not guarantee a LT spot just because you do the TR with them. You have to be assessed to be accepted to LT for quality control.
If you get employed after LT it is actually a very good deal you end up with.
I have spoken with a couple guys who have gone through their TR/LT and gotten a job.
Still I would like to hear more as you can never know enough. Anyone?
I have had extensive contact with airBaltic during the last months on the subject.
They still give you a tiny salary during LT (300EUR/month) to be able to have a place to live at least.
The biggest downside as I see it is that they do not guarantee a LT spot just because you do the TR with them. You have to be assessed to be accepted to LT for quality control.
If you get employed after LT it is actually a very good deal you end up with.
I have spoken with a couple guys who have gone through their TR/LT and gotten a job.
Still I would like to hear more as you can never know enough. Anyone?
Last edited by davve; 26th Sep 2012 at 11:16.
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: FUBAR
Posts: 3,348
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
They must have really upped the ante then, as about 75% of the guys invited back this Spring went elsewhere instead (primarily Norwegian/Primera / Jet Time ,as a large % were Scandis. )
Hard to believe the deal went from fairly mediocre (living in RIX ain't that cheap) to a VERY good deal (particularly when they can find guys to pay to do it) I suspect the deal may exist, but very few ( if any )get it.
Hard to believe the deal went from fairly mediocre (living in RIX ain't that cheap) to a VERY good deal (particularly when they can find guys to pay to do it) I suspect the deal may exist, but very few ( if any )get it.