Qantaslink Rosters - flight crew
 

What is a typical week or fortnight roster for pilots working Qantaslink bases?

How is the morale amongst the senior captains?

Any forecasts to where Qantaslink is headed?

VB, JQ and their life lifestyle does not interest me. I am looking for a regional carrier that looks after their crew long term.

Interested to hear from the horses mouth. No naysayers please. ;)

Kind Regards.

You are in the wrong game then my friend.

BuildnTime said,

I am looking for a regional carrier that looks after their crew long term.

Show me ANY carrier worldwide that does this, let alone a regional. Sorry to reign on your parade.

Where's the smiley for ROFLMAO when you need it?
I think you might be looking for a while, but please do let us all know when you find one.

all I read is these forums is whinge whinge whinge. Does anyone actually like their job? I work too hard, I don't get paid enough, he got a bigger piece than me... where are the positives??

Look its not all doomsday like the last two posters said. Yeah there are the senior captains who will whinge about the company from the time you sign on til you are running from the dash saying you have a train to catch! Most of them are too old to move on though, and too stubborn to do anything about it.
As for management, yeah they are there to make money, not make sure your coffee is warm when u walk in the door, as was seen in the engagement surveys, support from above is not always what it should be.

Rosters are relatively flexible, home most nights, depends on fleet type and roster bidding (bidding success, thats a whole other story). EBA for the mexicans (south of the border) has just been approved in principle, time will tell how that changes rosters, bidding, etc.
Expect 4-8 single overnights per 28 day roster, duty anywhere from 70 to 145 hours, and Reserve days from a few to 10.

Recruitment has been steady, I think they are attempting to stem the future flow to VB, and lesser extent, Jstar and potentially skywest.

Hope this helps.

Thank you for your comment Global Xpress.

No naysayers please.

BuildnTime,

You say you're not interested in VB/ J* lifestyle - just wondering what your perception of the VB/ J* lifestyle is?

I don't have experience with J*, but I find the lifestyle much, much better at VB compared to Qlink (EAA). By that I mean: you get paid a fair bit more (even on Ejet), you do a good mix of flying (regional and major ports), you can shape your roster to suit your preferences (I prefer 3-4 day trips which I generally get, but a lot of pairings are day trips if you prefer that), layovers are generally long enough to get a proper rest, you have career prospects on larger aircraft (if that interests you), but the real kicker is the extra days off. Min 11/12 days off in 28 plus blank days (rostered before early starts, etc) will regularly see you with 14-15 days "days off". Compare this to 8 off - roster in, roster out for effectively the same type of flying.

Sure, go for Qlink if that's what you want, but make an informed decision before writing off the alternatives.

Yes, only give this chap the good news so that he can make a decision based on all the information (except the bad stuff) :ok:

BuildnTime

Fair enough, but "straight from the horses mouth" means the bad along with the good. If you only want good opinions to help whatever confirmation bias you have towards Qlink then be prepared to be disappointed if you join! :{

1. Rosters - Covered well by Gx

2. Morale amongst senior captains (be prepared for some "naysaying" here :ooh:) is about the same as for the rest of the pilots: Middling to low. No secret that pilot engagement with the company is at an all time low.

Why? IMHO there are two main reasons:

One is that the constant meddling with FCOM procedures. While SOPS shouldn't be set in stone, Qlink changes theirs way too often and for some very weak reasons. Also, many of the changes are either poorly thought out, poorly implemented or both (Q300 intermediate speed cruise leaps to mind).

But the main reason for low morale are the constant attempts by mgt/ops to screw over flight crew of their entitlements (i.e. allowances, pay, etc).

3. Where is Qlink headed? Expansion! The first of 7 new Q400's arrives next month, with options for more. Qlink was one of the more profitable arms of the group last FY, and there is room for growth.

Plenty of rumours of new routes/frequencies/bases/regional jets, etc. Like most rumours, believe them when you see it on your run sheet.

4. Agree with Sue R and Norma.

DIVOSH!

Di Vosh and Grrowler,

Thank you for your posts, very informative.

No I don't own any rose coloured glasses, I'll take the truth.

I do think the ROFLMAO comment was childish.

The world doesn't owe you a thing, so remove chip from shoulder and suck it up. :ok:

Buildntime, so what is your perception of VB or J* lifestyle - not being smart, but a genuine question?

BuildnTime -Who was that aimed at ?

Things aren't that great at Qlink but I was never asked to suck anything. Maybe I was just lucky going through GA:\

Arrived on line today. CB-SY

Just to add to the roster comments, I find you can work as little or as much as you like, if you bid for 10 over-nights it is possible to get all 10. If you bid for lots of reserve days, then you can probably expect to spend a fair bit of time at home by the phone (or within 2 hours of work).
Pilots tend to enjoy complaining, it keeps them happy.

Grrowler,
The nights away, overnight sectors mainly. If I was single it wouldn't be an issue. I like the flexiablity offered by VB as you mentioned.

How is the morale at VB, in general?

[QUOTE][Arrived on line today. CB-SY/QUOTE]

Yeah, however it was broken....

I take it these new aircraft are nextgen?

Is there direct entry to the Q400 or is it seniority?

Any information on Brisbane base? Typical sectors a day? Expected progression time frame from F/O to CAPT?

Sydney, Cairns?

Rmcdonal,

Appreciate your comment, thank you.

Yes.
Depends on Sunstate or Eastern, at the moment they are recruiting straight onto the Q400 in some ports. If Eastern vote up the new EBA then you can expect to be placed on either a 300 or 400 as required by the company.
I cant help you with the roster, however they do seem a little short of Capts. so if you have the required minimum then you could possibly jump a few low time pilots for command. 2-3 years maybe in Sunstate? 3-5 years in Eastern? This number changes regularly and I have seen it at 18months out to 10 years.
At Sydney you tend to fly either 5-3 over-nights or a 4 sector day shift (SY-CB-SY-CB-SY). Overnights sign on around 1000-1300hrs, and sign off at the same the next day. Day shifts tend to start any time from 0545- 1400 and continue till 2200ish.
None of this takes into account contingency flying.

Please note Sunstate (BN-CNS) is different from Eastern (SYD-MEL-MQL), and to move from one to the other requires your resignation.

Rmcdonal,

Thank you again for your comments. I appreciate it.

BNE base is pretty similar to SYD. 99% of newbies are going to BNE on the 400.

400 FO's do about 50hrs a month, but with all the training going on it can vary quite a bit. CAPT's get flogged and a few are over it. Around 1 overnight per week, sometimes more, sometimes less. Over night trips are usually 5/3 or 3/3. Day trips are either 4/2 sectors and start between 0445-0700 and finish 1200-1300 or start at 1200-1400 and finish 1900-2100. All overnights are min rest except CNS where you either have the afternoon off or the following morning.

Move to left seat is anywhere from 12 months to 4 years, however seeing as everyone is doing ICUS, the wait will blow out in around 12 months as all the ICUS FO's gain the requirements for the left seat. So be prepared for the wait.

If you ignore all the politics and crap that comes with being in aviation and realise that management are no better or worse than anywhere else then it's not a bad place to be. Certainly are worse things to do for less money. :ok:

What are the required minimums for command? Also, from the right seat of a Q400 is your command back on the 300 or do you slide across the centre console?

Most commands are back to the classic (2/300). A few managed to go straight onto the 400 in CNS though.

Requirements are;
1 year in the company, and
700hrs on company aircraft, and
2000hr aeronautical.

The last one was previously waived if you had 2000hr on company aircraft. Caught a few out who knocked back a classic command hoping for the 400, and now have to wait for the 2000 aeronautical. :=

Thanks, I appreciate the replies as well.
Currently working in an internal office doing legal/admin work - very boring.
My aim is for Qlink as well. Its better than an internal office doing admin/legal work. Less money as a pilot but a better lifestyle and more enjoyable. Human nature, politics and economics seem to be pretty consistent in most industries, thereby preventing the perfect utopian world we all seek. As for the money, I'm not doing it for the money and I expect a lot of other pilots aren't either.

My questions

(i) What are the chances of getting recruited as a FO to a Melbourne base??? (I think Divosh has indicated before that most new recruits go to Sunstate or Sydney and have to wait for an opening in Melb.)

(ii) I presume that the same goes for a Capt position in MEL and expect that a command has to be taken somewhere less desirable in Eastern (SYD/Mildura) then transfer to the preferred base of MEL when a vacancy arises???

(iii) And the impossible question - will Qlink recruit someone over 40???
QLink say they don't discriminate on the basis of age etc..
Others say thare QL do recruit over 40 and there are recent examples of 40+ pilots being recruited, but I guess the closer I get to 45, the lower my chances???

Cheers...

Paul Damian

1. Something reasonably 'unusual' would have to happen for an FO to be recruited into the Melbourne base in the forseeable future. By 'unusual' I'm describing at least 15 resignations from MEL/MQL/SYD and/or two additional aircraft being based out of MEL. I'm not saying it can't or wont happen, but...

2. See (1) above, except you wont see MQL as a captain. All the MQL captains are pretty happy right where they are.

3. Yes, why not? They hired me at 45 :eek: I know of four other 40+ hires, the last one was within the past 12 months.

DIVOSH!

It would not surprise me if being over 40 actually worked in your favour, you are less likely to leave at that age and so a safer bet for the company.

The waiting list for Melbourne last time I check was about 2 years for an FO and 5+ for a Captain. Also you have to be in Eastern just to get on the list.

So are you given a choice when you apply, or do they allocate you to either Eastern or Sunnies once employed by Qlink?

I have to laugh that 99% of new hires go to BNE. I was advised they couldn't process my application as I would only accept a BNE base- this as an Intl Wide Body Trng Capt with previous D8 exp, a Degree and ex-military pilot!. Clearly I was applying for the Regional lifestyle. They wouldn't even look at getting me into a 'hold pool' as I was uncompetitive due to my basing preference. :ugh:

You give your preference when you apply, and are placed where needed. Sometimes you get your preference sometimes not. They do attempt to place you in the correct company (Sunstate/ Eastern), however if all the vacancies are in Sunstate then that is where you will go.
You should be told where you are to be based on your first day, before signing anything, so if you truly do not wish to be based in that port you can leave.

Going Nowhere,

Thank you for that information. Liked the concluding comment :ok:

Rmcdonal, DiVosh,

Cheers.

Just reading the current EBA for Eastern.
How do you guys find the travel benefits with the QF group?

Could someone explain the standby system? Im not sure how that works when you want to plan your holiday?

Staff travel benefits vary from company to company, but with all(?) Australian airlines are on a standby basis only - that is you only travel if there are empty seats. It is relatively cheap (depending what you think an empty seat should be worth:hmm:) and works well if: you aren't travelling with dependents, you are flexible with your travel dates and you don't want to travel in peak times.

Generally if you think about what time you take your holidays and build a buffer in at the end to get home before going back to work it's pretty good. Have heard of several stories though of guys having to pay through the nose for a last minute ticket to get home when all the flights suddenly fill up.

Guy's can you tell me how long Qlink will continue the recruiting that is going on. Thanks.

Ggrowler,

Thank you for your comments on the travel.

Your previous post with regards the days off you get a month is a kicker.

Bug4514,

I think it would be safe to say Qantaslink recruitment will be ongoing. If you take the gobal growth projections, local growth projections and the fact that most pilots will see qantaslink as a stepping stone in a career path. Thats only paper trading but it would be a safe bet.

Something about this thread doesn't add up.

I just can't put my finger on it!

Don't get to concerned there CAPT. I started the thread and would like to thank,

Rmcdonal,
Going nowhere,
Di Vosh,
Gobal Xpress and
Ggrowler.

I appreciate you all taking the time out to answer my questions. :D

Happy landings :ok:

So what sort of experience do you have?

The Goods and the Bads ..updated..
 

BuildnTime, I second what ggrowler says.

Have a read of the EBAs closely and compare things like:

Days off per roster
Minimum Rest
Maximum Sectors per day
Forced Moves
Direct Entry Commands
Overtime threshold (this can be misleading as sure the threshold is low but the company actually gets people doing 6 short sectors days 6 days a week)

(If someone is bored feel free to make a table it will tell you who's who straight away!!) It would be really interesting to see all the operators compared in a snapshot like that. I'm sure one of the unions has done it.

Interestingly enough J* come out as best for Maximum Sectors per day being 4 and VB second being 5. Have a look at Qlink (they have an open cheque book in this area). Jetstar also pay more money for working a day off. They fall down however in another are like forced base moves. Qlink probably has better meals and access to lounges whereas VB pilots are pretty much banned from the lounges (unless paying and out of uniform etc). At Jetstar and QF there is more respect in general for pilots from ground staff. At VB the culture that was implemented at the start was that ALL staff are equal, and it shows. You could be paxing to Perth and wont be offered a peanut or a cracker. Only recently were pilots given exit rows with more leg room. There is no chance of business class (CEO's word/ semi backflip) which is a given at Qlink. At VB you might get a reserve roster once a year or two but none during the normal roster. At J* you might have rosters riddled with reserves and be called out to do sim for one or all of them at 2 hours notice. Thus its possible on every roster to get a call out whereas at VB you only have to worry about this if you have a reserve roster. At Qantas and Cathay they seem to be in the Sim ALL the time (4 a year i think). At VB its 2. At Cathay you do interviews for every position change and at Cathay and Emirates they can just change your terms and conditions as they see fit.

You have to find what the most important things are for you. For a good mate of mine job security was the most important: He works at Jetstar (they will never shut down, the government will close before them!). Another mate can't fathom not using the QF lounges and drinking the best wine in Business class, he chose correctly by not applying to VB and staying at Qlink.

In the regional/charter world there is this strange perception that the JQ/VB/QF/VA pilots have this terrible lifestyle and that it's just not worth the extra coin. Living in hotel rooms and terrible hours are some of the favourite lines. Another one (right or wrong arguments aside) is the 30k for the endorsement. They conveniently forget to mention that it actually works out to 15-18k out of pocket whilst on a higher salary from day one with no training wage either. They also tend to not mention things like the staff travel, flying above 90% of the weather 90% of the time, or performance on one engine, employability, support, destinations etc. I think this is promulgated by people within the regionals. I know because I worked in one. Icarus2001 mentions it to me in the big Tiger thread. My reply to him is that nice is what you like and if you he is happy there then thats great. That is the key. But don't fool yourself into thinking Jetstar is miserable or V Australia is crap. It ain't. Both could be better.

Having done all stops (over 15 years) from a C172 through to an Airline I can say there is no beating working for a Domestic Airline in my book. I suspect some International (North South) may even be better. Having said that, my second best job was a piston one where the culture was fantastic. One of the best jobs I had wasn't a flying one as well (the boss was a top bloke). I personally drew the line when working for a regional/charter mob and Jetstar New Zealand emailed me. Although I wanted to leave at all costs as my outfit was the pits it wasn't enough to make me want to do that. I would sooner have retrained in another vocation. I don't know much about Tiger but I do know they are a super LCC and that just doesn't work for me.

My current roster regularly has between 11-18 days off per month. The average would be 15. My minimum rest is 12 hours and I get to influence what my roster looks like. When I pax 50% of the time I don't get offered a tea/coffee or a smack in the mouth. I wouldn't dream of setting foot in a lounge or for that matter arguing on a seating issue on staff travel. If I want day trips I put that as #1 in my list. If I want overnights in SYD likewise. My roster changes in the last 365 days are: 2. I'd say the most important things in my list are:

1. Culture (What is the focus here? Are pilots always the problem here? How do people speak to one another here? Do I have to watch my payslips? How do we generate dollars - Cost cutting or business building? What are the checkies like? Is it training or checking? How many people have been sacked during a check here? Are things improving/being automated? Things like that)

2. Roster Bidding/Building (What systems are in place?)

3. Morale (Are people angry here all the time. Is it always us vs them? Would most people shake the CEOs hand willingly?)

4. Money or Terms Conditions (Am I better off?

I only worked out the culture of the various companies by speaking to a lot of people over years and years.

Good luck.

Mr Hat,

That was a brilliant post,

Thank you :D

I'll ask the question again BuildnTime. What sort of experience do you have?

Krusty,

I saw your first post.

What are your intentions?