Airtours to take on Temp Airbus Pilots

[PUP]

A pal of mine tells me that Airtours will be taking on Airbus FOs on temporary contracts for the summer season. Heads up, any unemployed 320/1 pilots!

[MissChief]

Correct...6 Captains, 10 FO's, bases and pay not defined. Good luck to all unemployed Bus Drivers. Hopefully the start of a return to work for us all.

[A and C]

So as i predicted some time ago on these pages after the panic redundancys we start to see the panic recrutment.

The events of the last five months just show the poor quality of the vast majority of airline managment who all most to a man felt that they had to do some thing in a crisis and so vastly over reacted.

I am left thinking that it what else can you expect when you let the bean counters run a company without adult supervision.

I can only think of one airline in the UK charter market that has had a good leadership from the top over the last few months , so it can be done but there are very few managers that have the vision and insight to not follow the pack when the whole market has so vastly over reacted.

I am now left to ponder who will take the blame for the increase in training costs that are a result of getting rid of pilots is november and then having to recrut them in march ,no doubt the bean counters will be patting them selfs on the back for finding the "new" business and so put the extra costs down to the skillfull way they have turned the situation around !.

[ 25 February 2002: Message edited by: A and C ]</p>

[Big Tudor]

A & C

Sorry to correct you on one small point but Airours didn't lay off any pilots last year.

[nigelhayes5000]

achally that sounds like quite a big point to me! good luck to anyone who is fortuitous enough to secure a postion, all be it only for the summer! <img src="smile.gif" border="0">

[tbamber]

I think perhaps that the comment about only one Airline has shown good management since 11th must have been refering to Airtours. The management did not panic, did not make redundancies, and is now recruiting!!.. .May the rest of the industry follow.

[sky9]

I notice jobs in "Flight" this week for 757 & 767 pilots this week. . .I’m not so sure that it was the management that panicked, I suspect that it was us that were panicked into lower salaries and job cuts. . ."They" of course will get big bonuses for frightening us into agreeing.. . <img src="rolleyes.gif" border="0">

[really not]

TB - ever the company man!! <img src="wink.gif" border="0">

[Pilot Pete]

I do not deny this is good news for any out of work Airbus pilots, but has anyone thought that this might be the start of a disturbing trend of the charter operators looking to employ summer only pilots? How do the costs of summer contract workers compare to year round employees? I don't know, but would guess they work out more expensive for the summer but less overall? Surely the best way to operate would be to find work for your fleet during the winter season (I know times are currently hard) as well, especially if your a/c are leased and not owned outright? Any thoughts?

PP

[hapzim]

Agree with you pete , a worring trend .

By the way Airtours did apply redundancies after sept 11 but with drew them after some early retirements.

edited due spelling its been a long day!!!!!

[ 25 February 2002: Message edited by: hapzim ]</p>

[flite idol]

I totally agree Pete. If Airtours were hiring for permanent positions that would be very good news indeed, however if the trend now goes to just hiring short term contract pilots for the busy season with very few permanent jobs out there then I think we are on the slippery slope.

[toulouse_le_trek]

Just checked my backcopy of Flight and the airliner Census dated October and can't find a swedish operator of 757s, anyone know who they are?

[Fly_Right]

I seem to recall IEA or Air World (Alan Dix'mob) tried to just employ drivers on Summer contracts. Come the upturn they didn't have any pilots and had to scrabble around with permanent contracts to get the people they needed. Not the start of a trend, me thinks. (not with easy taking all and sundry permanently!)

[driftwood]

In many industries (including research) you're employed for the duration of a contract, then it's goodbye and no company pension. Surprised it hasn't come to Package Flight crews

[sky9]

Jobs are with Air Atlanta on the 767 and a Swedish operator on the 757. If the rumours last year about Air Atlanta are correct our cabin staff earn't more!!

[WAIF-er]

Airtours introduced 10 month contracts for their cabin crew for the first time in november. Basically, from what I remember, they are paid a monthly salary just for the 10 months that they work ( Jan - Oct ) and in december, they got a £500 sum to tide things over xmas.

I am not sure though whether such crew are classed as permanent. I suspect they are classed as permanent. If this sort of contract is introduced for flight crews aswell, it could work IF the pay is right.

Hey, 2 months holiday - xmas & new year included - not that bad in my opinion.

I understand some peoples fears that this could be the start of a slippery slope, however, if the forecast pilot shortage is correct, then the charter guys will have to be paid a decent salary just to be retained by their employer.

[tailscrape]

Pilot Pete, as you know my friend I love to bang the drum!!

I and you have been nagging on about this in our mob since Sept.

Mind you, we employed AMERICANS on BRITISH aircraft for the summers recently. And no one complained......perhaps AIH are just following our trend.

On another note, I am not sure that are that many redundant Airbus drivers out there in the UK. I dunno how many AMM laid off??

Perhaps someone can shed light....

[411A]

Temp guys/gals are THE way to go, for flight deck positions, IMHO. Good for the airline concerned...and the pilots, who have a little winter vacation, preferably in the sun.. .'Tis the wave of the future guys, like it or not...and many won't. The company shareholders/management smile all the way to the bank

[SFly]

Not exactly sure but I believe Air 2000 laid off quite a multitude of pilots (they were getting rid of 6[?] aircraft after all) but I'm not sure if any or how many of those were Airbus pilots. . .<a href="http://www.pprune.org/cgibin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=016638&p=" target="_blank">Air 2000 redundancies</a>

Well done to Airtours for their example during this time (despite the name change!! <img src="rolleyes.gif" border="0"> ) I don't think they got rid of any aircraft this winter and in fact are looking to expand their fleet, which should bring even more jobs and frequency in the future. Also according to the annual report book (which I didn't actually read very closely <img src="redface.gif" border="0"> ) the holidays have been selling miraculously quickly for Summer and Winter 2002, especially over the Christmas period, so it looks like some more comforting times are in store in the AIH camp.

SFly <img src="smile.gif" border="0">

[toulouse_le_trek]

No 320 drivers were laid off by Air2K, they were all 757 drivers and by all accounts they are looking to take them back despite the fact that a number have got jobs with the low cost carriers. Only thing stopping the Co bringing them back too soon is the loss of face the management will face, they may even try to bring them back on short term contracts but if they aren't quick they will all have gone elsewhere. BTW we still have 10 demoted Capts who are still feeling pretty sore!