Aerologic
Join Date: May 2004
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-There are even some pilots who donīt speak german at all.
-I think the Assessment is mainly in german, but I guess you will get some help if you donīt understand it.
-I guess you salary would be somewhere around 55-60k.
-I think the Assessment is mainly in german, but I guess you will get some help if you donīt understand it.
-I guess you salary would be somewhere around 55-60k.
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: FL360
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Hello,
I work for AL since 2009, regarding the screening I don't remember a lot. On day one, the most important part is the dinner, some applicants believe that it is not part of the assessment, but that is not true! If you have in the next morning your sim at six or seven o'clock, I would recommend you not to stay until midnight and drink the whole evening. Most candidates think that the dinner is not part of the whole process, but have in mind that these hours during dinner give the recruitment team an idea who you really are!
The sim is pretty straight forward, you fly approximately 45-60 minutes in a 737CL or NG, depending which sim is available. As far as I remember, the expectations for persons with an 737 Rating are higher, but the programm is still the same. You'll make an raw data takeoff without A/T and climb on runway heading to e.g. 5000ft, there after some airwork followed by a NDB Approach and a single engine ILS Approach, it's not really complicated. If you pass, you will go straight to your interview, where you spend another hour. That's it.
If your German is good enough, I wouldn't be worried too much about it. But yes, the whole screening is in german, if you have any questions do not hesitate to ask. They will help you.
Regarding the salary, I really hope that your expectations are not too high. We have lost plenty of SFOs to Norwegian, but you can negotiate because they need people. We get two more airplanes, one is coming in July and one in September, I heard that there is a third unit in the pipeline! They lowered the requirements to upgrade all the FOs to captains. It's just a rumor, but they might have to take DEC because we don't have any experienced pilots in the right seat, so maybe you are in a better position.
Good luck
I work for AL since 2009, regarding the screening I don't remember a lot. On day one, the most important part is the dinner, some applicants believe that it is not part of the assessment, but that is not true! If you have in the next morning your sim at six or seven o'clock, I would recommend you not to stay until midnight and drink the whole evening. Most candidates think that the dinner is not part of the whole process, but have in mind that these hours during dinner give the recruitment team an idea who you really are!
The sim is pretty straight forward, you fly approximately 45-60 minutes in a 737CL or NG, depending which sim is available. As far as I remember, the expectations for persons with an 737 Rating are higher, but the programm is still the same. You'll make an raw data takeoff without A/T and climb on runway heading to e.g. 5000ft, there after some airwork followed by a NDB Approach and a single engine ILS Approach, it's not really complicated. If you pass, you will go straight to your interview, where you spend another hour. That's it.
If your German is good enough, I wouldn't be worried too much about it. But yes, the whole screening is in german, if you have any questions do not hesitate to ask. They will help you.
Regarding the salary, I really hope that your expectations are not too high. We have lost plenty of SFOs to Norwegian, but you can negotiate because they need people. We get two more airplanes, one is coming in July and one in September, I heard that there is a third unit in the pipeline! They lowered the requirements to upgrade all the FOs to captains. It's just a rumor, but they might have to take DEC because we don't have any experienced pilots in the right seat, so maybe you are in a better position.
Good luck
Join Date: Apr 2016
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55.000 gross for an experienced FO on a widebody B777 that costs 300 Millions ?
That is 2650 net after tax and social security.
That's what an elementary teacher in Germany makes, right after university.
That is 2650 net after tax and social security.
That's what an elementary teacher in Germany makes, right after university.
. Just my 2 cents anyway
Join Date: Jan 2008
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Thanks BillBoeing. Wow, that salary is attrociously low. How many 777s do you have these days? Do you guys have decent layovers in nice places or are you operating on min-rest in barren outposts in Central Asia?
Also, is there a natural tension between you guys and the LH Cargo folks or is it a respectful relationship?
Also, is there a natural tension between you guys and the LH Cargo folks or is it a respectful relationship?
Last edited by Iver; 19th Jul 2017 at 02:28.
Join Date: Sep 2015
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No doubt, the salary is low, and it doesn't matter if you come out of the screening and negotiate 60 or 65k Euro per year, finally it's your choice. I've never heard of a triple seven operator who pays less. And to make it clear, we never received a bonus, except in the first year and there is no pension scheme, just a LOL and an annual salary increase of 2.700,- Euros.
We know that the company is making a lot of money for DHL and Lufthansa Cargo, unfortunately they don't like to share with us.
But as mentioned in previous posts, there are a few other things that I like and enjoy:
1. 15 days off every month. So, comparing to other triple seven or longhaul operators I do have a private life and enjoy my life. When I return home there are plenty days to recover. I have friends who work in the dessert, but none of them has 5 or 6 days off after an flight. The company could plan you for two extra days (13 days off), but as a captain you get 700,- Euros/day. This is the reason why they usually don't do it.
2. in the last 5 years I flew not more than 600 hours/year. So expect 50-70 hours in average.
3. All hotels where we stay are 5 star and in the city Centre or at the beach (LAX),Breakfast and Internet is included. Layovers vary with the destination. You can expect minimum 24-72 hours in most places, except of LAX where you stay from Sunday to Friday ( 5 days).
4. we have a request system where you can request one flight and four days off, so if you plan to be at home for your son's birthday, just request your off days or plan a flight before of it.
5. 20% of your basic salary is tax free up to a certain amount (20.000,-Euro/year)
6. Part time is possible and taken by a lot of pilots, you can request up to six months a year or sign for a permanent part time contract (75% or 50%).
7. The operation itself is very relaxed, just close the door on time and enjoy flying, no unruly passengers, no ATC slots, no missing bags....As long as you stay with the SOPs there is nothing to be concerned about.
8. Homebase is Leipzig, but we do have flights out of FRA or returning to FRA. In this case the company pays all travel expenses (Hotel, Flight, Car....)
9. if we proceed deadhead with other airlines and flight time is longer than 4 hours (which is in most cases) you get a business ticket.
@Iver No, there are no tensions between us and LH pilots. At some places, we stay in the same hotel (PVG). So it happened many times that we went out for dinner together, we noticed that we are sitting in the same boat, so they don't have any problem with us. At the moment we operate 8 Freighter, but as already mentioned we get two more till September, coming from DHL and not from Lufthansa. We start with Tokio and South America operation in September and October, we take that flights from the MD11 LCAG. There are some rumors about JFK,ATL and IAH.
Currently, some sectors are operated by two men crew and not three or four, this will last until the end of the year. The toughest flight with two men is most probably the night flight from HKG to DXB. Due to the new FTLs, some flights are operated with four crew members instead of three.
That's it!
We know that the company is making a lot of money for DHL and Lufthansa Cargo, unfortunately they don't like to share with us.
But as mentioned in previous posts, there are a few other things that I like and enjoy:
1. 15 days off every month. So, comparing to other triple seven or longhaul operators I do have a private life and enjoy my life. When I return home there are plenty days to recover. I have friends who work in the dessert, but none of them has 5 or 6 days off after an flight. The company could plan you for two extra days (13 days off), but as a captain you get 700,- Euros/day. This is the reason why they usually don't do it.
2. in the last 5 years I flew not more than 600 hours/year. So expect 50-70 hours in average.
3. All hotels where we stay are 5 star and in the city Centre or at the beach (LAX),Breakfast and Internet is included. Layovers vary with the destination. You can expect minimum 24-72 hours in most places, except of LAX where you stay from Sunday to Friday ( 5 days).
4. we have a request system where you can request one flight and four days off, so if you plan to be at home for your son's birthday, just request your off days or plan a flight before of it.
5. 20% of your basic salary is tax free up to a certain amount (20.000,-Euro/year)
6. Part time is possible and taken by a lot of pilots, you can request up to six months a year or sign for a permanent part time contract (75% or 50%).
7. The operation itself is very relaxed, just close the door on time and enjoy flying, no unruly passengers, no ATC slots, no missing bags....As long as you stay with the SOPs there is nothing to be concerned about.
8. Homebase is Leipzig, but we do have flights out of FRA or returning to FRA. In this case the company pays all travel expenses (Hotel, Flight, Car....)
9. if we proceed deadhead with other airlines and flight time is longer than 4 hours (which is in most cases) you get a business ticket.
@Iver No, there are no tensions between us and LH pilots. At some places, we stay in the same hotel (PVG). So it happened many times that we went out for dinner together, we noticed that we are sitting in the same boat, so they don't have any problem with us. At the moment we operate 8 Freighter, but as already mentioned we get two more till September, coming from DHL and not from Lufthansa. We start with Tokio and South America operation in September and October, we take that flights from the MD11 LCAG. There are some rumors about JFK,ATL and IAH.
Currently, some sectors are operated by two men crew and not three or four, this will last until the end of the year. The toughest flight with two men is most probably the night flight from HKG to DXB. Due to the new FTLs, some flights are operated with four crew members instead of three.
That's it!
Join Date: Feb 2008
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Thanks for your insider knowledge
Do many pilots live in LEJ, or is commuting from within DE common? I guess with the days off in a row it should be fairly easy.
Which units do you expect to receive from DHL, any 757/767 coming your way?
Cheers
Do many pilots live in LEJ, or is commuting from within DE common? I guess with the days off in a row it should be fairly easy.
Which units do you expect to receive from DHL, any 757/767 coming your way?
Cheers
Join Date: Jan 2018
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Cheers guys!
Anyone willing to share some more detailed information with me eg. rosters, commuting options and so on, would be highly appreciated!?
I am desperate to get an insider`s view to make up my mind if it is worth going there or not...
Anyone willing to share some more detailed information with me eg. rosters, commuting options and so on, would be highly appreciated!?
I am desperate to get an insider`s view to make up my mind if it is worth going there or not...
Join Date: Sep 2015
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Hi there,
all my previous posts about AL are still up to date. Company is still recruiting a lot of FOs, last year more than 60 people and this year most probably another 60 pilots. It’s not official, but a lot of rumors about more airplanes to arrive, coming from Lufthansa Cargo.
In general, commuting is possible, we have pilots living in Italy, Switzerland, Netherlands and Austria.
AFAK, german is still a requirement, it’s a german company, so what do you expect?
all my previous posts about AL are still up to date. Company is still recruiting a lot of FOs, last year more than 60 people and this year most probably another 60 pilots. It’s not official, but a lot of rumors about more airplanes to arrive, coming from Lufthansa Cargo.
In general, commuting is possible, we have pilots living in Italy, Switzerland, Netherlands and Austria.
AFAK, german is still a requirement, it’s a german company, so what do you expect?
Join Date: Mar 2003
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Except for a few individuals who were hired at the beginning, who came in with lots of relevant on type experience, fluency in german language is a hard requirement. That doesn't necessarily mean native speaker level but you should be able to hold a conversation
As for the company, flying gets more interesting apparently, bunch of good people there, rosters are good for the most part and make commuting possible, just know that at the end of the seniority list even with the current expansion it will take anyone lots of years to progress and all that while earning sub standard money.
As for the company, flying gets more interesting apparently, bunch of good people there, rosters are good for the most part and make commuting possible, just know that at the end of the seniority list even with the current expansion it will take anyone lots of years to progress and all that while earning sub standard money.
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I think the pay is better at CV, but the roster at AL is one of the best of the industry from what I have seen (and I have seen some SO & FO rosters).
It depends on what you want.
It depends on what you want.
Join Date: Sep 2015
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Hi there,
it depends what you want. If you are looking for a decent salary and a pension, take Cargolux ( btw flying a B747 is also a good argument). If you prefer a stable roster with 15 days off every month, max. 600 hrs/year... AL is not a bad option!
In both cases, you work and live in Europe and this is in my opinion a very strong argument to choose one of them.
@DEEC We have so many new guys coming from Ryanair, SunExpress or Easyjet, they are all very welcome and they are very happy with Aerologic, so what do you say about it?
it depends what you want. If you are looking for a decent salary and a pension, take Cargolux ( btw flying a B747 is also a good argument). If you prefer a stable roster with 15 days off every month, max. 600 hrs/year... AL is not a bad option!
In both cases, you work and live in Europe and this is in my opinion a very strong argument to choose one of them.
@DEEC We have so many new guys coming from Ryanair, SunExpress or Easyjet, they are all very welcome and they are very happy with Aerologic, so what do you say about it?