Thomas Cook recruiting
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I understand there are sim checks on the 7/8th Feb on the Boeing. This information has come from someone who has been asked to attend so should be reliable. Is recruitment complete I don't think so but it is worth noting that the largest requirement for pilots was on the 757 fleet and with these sim rides to come I would think more are needed. It may well be that recruitment is complete on the Airbus because there was less requirement. Good luck to everyone going to the sim.
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Recruitment is still on going as far as I am aware. Boeing sims are running first week of feb. This info should be reliable because it has come from a friend who is going to the sim cx. TCX had a larger requirement for 757 pilots than airbus so it is likely that the recruitment for the airbus maybe complete but not for the 757 fleet? Some pilots I guess may be offered a early retirement deal but who knows really. Good luck all those going to the sim check.
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The Enhanced Voluntary Severance (EVS) is far from generous. Some will go, but only because they really want to already (to be fair that's a a growing number, due to the rubbish treatment of TXC Pilots [note: Pilots, notFlight Deck. The latter is attached to the front of the jet] by HR, Payroll, Peterborough etc 
). I suspect that few will be tempted into early retirement with this run of the mill 'offer.'
By the way, where was your MP this evening at 1600? If you care enough about your future in aviation to be reading this thread then you'll know what I mean. If you don't know then you need to find out and get proactive asap.
). I suspect that few will be tempted into early retirement with this run of the mill 'offer.'By the way, where was your MP this evening at 1600? If you care enough about your future in aviation to be reading this thread then you'll know what I mean. If you don't know then you need to find out and get proactive asap.
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Bernoulli, please could you expand on what you mean by 'rubbish treatment of TCX pilots'. I am considering joining the company, and so far the feedback from people I know in the company is good. Very good roster with reasonable pay. I am interested to hear your thoughts.........
Good luck to those MPs who did go along today. We are going to need all the help we can get from them!
Good luck to those MPs who did go along today. We are going to need all the help we can get from them!
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The airline is fine and a good place to work with a lovely bunch of people in the cockpit. With rare exception those working in the cabin are good too.
However... TCX is just a relatively small part of a much bigger organisation and it's the way we at the coal face are dealt with by HQ down at Peterborough that is so demoralising. Practices and procedures are imposed by diktat upon the Airline, whether they suit or not, in pursuit of a 'one size fits all' approach. The higher 'managers' at Peterborough are presently giving a masterclass in pissing off their employees.
The final salary pension scheme is being closed.
They have outsourced payroll to a comedy outfit called 'Accenture' who go from one cock up to the next. The latest fiasco is that we've just discovered they've been ignoring HMRC tax codes and consequently I (and many others) had thousands of pounds in back tax taken from our latest pay. One chap's pay was down £5k. No warning, no communication, just done as an administrative procedure without thought of the consequence to the individual. Phone Payroll's 'helpline' and you're through not to a lady working within the airline who may have an understanding of the issue but to a call centre in Bangalore. Ever tried to describe a complex tax issue that you barely understand yourself to someone thousands of miles away etc etc?
Travel concessions have been unilaterally slashed. Corporate yukspeak portrays the changes as a good thing, but they're not. Most of the ex MYT people used their diminishing concessions against holidays with the more interesting parts of the Group, for example Cresta. All opportunity to experience the more esoteric and better things on offer has been removed. We are now limited to the mainstream product and can only book these a few weeks in advance. So, in practice that means we're left with whatever bucket 'n' spade packages they've got left and can't sell. AKA 'distressed stock.'
To sum up; the Airline's fine but the workforce is becoming de-motivated by the unilateral actions of a distant and unresponsive Group. At least that's how I see it. Perhaps someone else from TCX would care to give an opinion. I've phrased it mildly but I can assure you that feelings are running pretty high.
Proud to work for Thomas Cook? I don't think so. (Airline in joke).
However... TCX is just a relatively small part of a much bigger organisation and it's the way we at the coal face are dealt with by HQ down at Peterborough that is so demoralising. Practices and procedures are imposed by diktat upon the Airline, whether they suit or not, in pursuit of a 'one size fits all' approach. The higher 'managers' at Peterborough are presently giving a masterclass in pissing off their employees.
The final salary pension scheme is being closed.
They have outsourced payroll to a comedy outfit called 'Accenture' who go from one cock up to the next. The latest fiasco is that we've just discovered they've been ignoring HMRC tax codes and consequently I (and many others) had thousands of pounds in back tax taken from our latest pay. One chap's pay was down £5k. No warning, no communication, just done as an administrative procedure without thought of the consequence to the individual. Phone Payroll's 'helpline' and you're through not to a lady working within the airline who may have an understanding of the issue but to a call centre in Bangalore. Ever tried to describe a complex tax issue that you barely understand yourself to someone thousands of miles away etc etc?
Travel concessions have been unilaterally slashed. Corporate yukspeak portrays the changes as a good thing, but they're not. Most of the ex MYT people used their diminishing concessions against holidays with the more interesting parts of the Group, for example Cresta. All opportunity to experience the more esoteric and better things on offer has been removed. We are now limited to the mainstream product and can only book these a few weeks in advance. So, in practice that means we're left with whatever bucket 'n' spade packages they've got left and can't sell. AKA 'distressed stock.'
To sum up; the Airline's fine but the workforce is becoming de-motivated by the unilateral actions of a distant and unresponsive Group. At least that's how I see it. Perhaps someone else from TCX would care to give an opinion. I've phrased it mildly but I can assure you that feelings are running pretty high.
Proud to work for Thomas Cook? I don't think so. (Airline in joke).
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I think its a very fair assessment. Another serious issue for people who wish to have a career with TCX is that we are sub chartering an Airline in for a second summer. Last year was on the premise that due to Sky service's demise 2 more jets were needed at very short notice. So why is the company getting away with bringing these Aircraft back for a second season?? Words like unsustainable, and the 'summer vs winter' imbalance are the excuse, but the reality is that the Airline doesn't need as many Pilots and the number of commands are being reduced. I believe the union need to stamp their feet over this one quick!!
What I will say in the company's defence is that the conditions and people are pretty good when we look at the behaviour of some of our competitors of the past couple of years, and the general T's and C's of some of our low cost counterparts.
What I will say in the company's defence is that the conditions and people are pretty good when we look at the behaviour of some of our competitors of the past couple of years, and the general T's and C's of some of our low cost counterparts.
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Thanks for the info guys. I am trying to build as clear a picture as possible before making a decision.
Having suffered working for a LoCo for a while now, all I really care about is having a good roster, with a decent amount of time off and a reasonable salary. In reality it seems that all airlines have management problems, including legacy carriers.
Would you say that TCX offers these things I look for? I have heard all the rumours, but how much can I genuinely expect to work on the airbus fleet in the summer/winter. Have the fairly gentle rosters of the last year or so just been as a result of the recession, or are they fairly typical historically?
Thanks again,
Having suffered working for a LoCo for a while now, all I really care about is having a good roster, with a decent amount of time off and a reasonable salary. In reality it seems that all airlines have management problems, including legacy carriers.
Would you say that TCX offers these things I look for? I have heard all the rumours, but how much can I genuinely expect to work on the airbus fleet in the summer/winter. Have the fairly gentle rosters of the last year or so just been as a result of the recession, or are they fairly typical historically?
Thanks again,
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FLR, Bernoulli has summed it up for you. Novoa and his bunch of sycophants at Peterborough don't care for the airline or pilots, and so terms & conditions are being eroded year on year (as they are in many airlines). Our fellow pilots and crew are a great bunch to work with but you will find morale pretty low. If you're short haul only I'd be very surprised if you ever top 700 hours a year, unless you take day off payments which are very lucrative.
You will get what you are looking for in terms of rosters/time off/salary etc; AT THE MOMENT. Be advised that our "scheduling agreement" is what really protects us as we need around 5% more pilots to operate the programme than companies without those protections apparently. However, the management want to scrap the agreement, so we'll see how tough BALPA are.
It used to be a great place to work, not anymore, but the same can probably be said of many companies. It's all relative I suppose.
You will get what you are looking for in terms of rosters/time off/salary etc; AT THE MOMENT. Be advised that our "scheduling agreement" is what really protects us as we need around 5% more pilots to operate the programme than companies without those protections apparently. However, the management want to scrap the agreement, so we'll see how tough BALPA are.
It used to be a great place to work, not anymore, but the same can probably be said of many companies. It's all relative I suppose.
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TCX bad employers.
Feedback from pals at TCX indicate a nasty and greedy upper management make their lives unpleasant and frustrating. Cutbacks in most benefits, incompetence in payroll has apparently led to underpayment to many employees, pilots included. Caveat emptor seems to be the watchword. Unpleasant outfit to work for. Stay with the locos guys.
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I have to say I find TCX to be a great pace to work with a good bunch of guys. I feel the t&c are good and I feel valued. I cannot comment on the recent changes to concessions but I used mine in november and my family and I had a wonderful holiday at a fair price. From my little bit of experience in the company I am sure the points previously raised will be sorted and everyone will be satisfied in the not to distant future. 
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Just going back a step or 2 here.... Full Left Rudder is going through the recruitment and is asking for thoughts on the company as a new joiner. Bernoulli, frozenpilot et al. are giving their thoughts but I think they are comparing the t's and c's of today with those of a few years ago. What is really being asked for is a comparison to other UK outfits recruiting pilots at the moment, and from that perspective I think TCX compare pretty favourably....
Pay is pretty good (once you get on a full time permanent contract!!). Good chance for day off payments through the summer. Roster is stable. You are able to bid for base when joining and will get 1 of your first 2 or 3 choices. On short haul expect to do a lot of flights to Turkey, Greece, Egypt (!?), Canaries. This limits you to about 3 flights a week max in the summer before coming up against hour limits. Within a few years there is a good chance of doing mixed fleet flying on the airbus fleet. With friends at RY and EZ I know I wouldn't swap places.....
Again - these are the thoughts of someone in the company for a couple of years, but this may be more relevant to a new joiner. PM me if you want more info
Pay is pretty good (once you get on a full time permanent contract!!). Good chance for day off payments through the summer. Roster is stable. You are able to bid for base when joining and will get 1 of your first 2 or 3 choices. On short haul expect to do a lot of flights to Turkey, Greece, Egypt (!?), Canaries. This limits you to about 3 flights a week max in the summer before coming up against hour limits. Within a few years there is a good chance of doing mixed fleet flying on the airbus fleet. With friends at RY and EZ I know I wouldn't swap places.....
Again - these are the thoughts of someone in the company for a couple of years, but this may be more relevant to a new joiner. PM me if you want more info
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I believe the only way in which the loco's compete with TCX are quicker time to command. Fundamentally a sound company with a strong position in what is becoming a niche charter market (due mergers and capacity cuts). Yes there are a number of issues floating around concerning management, but when you look at the cut throat attitude of management in our low cost counter parts then I fail to see a benefit staying with them.
Pay wise TCX are very good. You sit on a pay scale for starters, which is an incentive. Day off payments are very lucrative, early start payments are another source of income, and now there is block window payments being introduced for more cash. The pension on offer is still very competitive. All in all I believe the pay is up there with the best in the UK.
With regards to lifestyle, you get loads of time off (bar 3-4 months in the summer) where you are only get your rostered ten days off (agreement dependant) For the rest of the year there is plenty of time off, Id say more off than on actually. To compliment lifestyle there are night stops which takes a number of days out of a week and adds to the fun. Most of your co-workers are good fun and mostly positive, so its a pretty productive environment.
Yes TCX is falling down with certain things, but what workforce doesnt have a grumble with their management at the moment. New joiners wont have knowledge of the legacy Airlines issues that were brought forward during the merger, so they will just see it as a decent place to work.
Pay wise TCX are very good. You sit on a pay scale for starters, which is an incentive. Day off payments are very lucrative, early start payments are another source of income, and now there is block window payments being introduced for more cash. The pension on offer is still very competitive. All in all I believe the pay is up there with the best in the UK.
With regards to lifestyle, you get loads of time off (bar 3-4 months in the summer) where you are only get your rostered ten days off (agreement dependant) For the rest of the year there is plenty of time off, Id say more off than on actually. To compliment lifestyle there are night stops which takes a number of days out of a week and adds to the fun. Most of your co-workers are good fun and mostly positive, so its a pretty productive environment.
Yes TCX is falling down with certain things, but what workforce doesnt have a grumble with their management at the moment. New joiners wont have knowledge of the legacy Airlines issues that were brought forward during the merger, so they will just see it as a decent place to work.
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Glad to hear that there are some happy campers at TCX. My pals are all older guys who have been in TCX and MYT for years, and they all are disenchanted with the company and the airline. One or two of them are more angry than is good for them.
Perhaps you happy chappies are a newer breed. Anyway, good luck to you all.
From my own vantage point at a loco, the airline business is tough all round. I'm looking at other options overseas, but even there the imported natives are restless.
Perhaps you happy chappies are a newer breed. Anyway, good luck to you all.
From my own vantage point at a loco, the airline business is tough all round. I'm looking at other options overseas, but even there the imported natives are restless.