Air Baltic information
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Germanby
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Hi.
I also got an offer to fly on their C-Series and I would like to hear from an Air Baltic C-Series pilot what a monthly roster roughly looks like.
Thank you already in advance.
I also got an offer to fly on their C-Series and I would like to hear from an Air Baltic C-Series pilot what a monthly roster roughly looks like.
Thank you already in advance.
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Tightwad Hill
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Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Belgium
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FO's from all different types in the company are upgraded on the Q400. On paper you need 500hrs PIC to upgrade to CS. In reality, there is a pilot promotion list with a number of pilots (captains) mainly in front of you even if you acquire 500hrs PIC so don't count on upgrade to CS captain any time soon.
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Belgium
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If you have flights with layovers, you can expect 2-3 sectors general, rarely 4-5 sectors and then 3th or 5th sector in case of 5 sectors will be to layover destination. Next day either you fly back or go as dead head and can expect 2 sectors. Without layover, occasionally 2 sector days, majority are 4 or 5 sector days, mix of shorter and longer flights. Each pilot has his own efb. FPL is still on paper. Turnaround anywhere between 25-30min (TLL, VNO, PRG, BRU) to 50min or even 60-90min (LED, CPH) there's a good mix in that sense. But you can easily turnaround in 20min and have time left to breath when all goes smoothly.
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Stuttgart
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Hey guys,
I have an urgent question. I toy with the idea to apply as DEC on the Dash 8. I am current on type and already Commander flying for Eurowings.
At the moment they have increased the salary for Captains and my wife and me can imagine to leave Germany and move to Riga with our children. Does anyone knows if all Dash 8 Captains will be trained for the A220 when die Q400 leaves the fleet? Or do I have to start again as FO. Is the salary correct, 8600 € before tax and approx. 7100 € net salary?
Would you recommand this step or would you stay away from Air Baltic? I also have the opportunity to change on the A320 for Eurowings as First Officer for half the salary I have right now and no upgrade the next maybe 10 years. I guess this sounds terrible, doesnt?
I would really appreciate any advise .
I have an urgent question. I toy with the idea to apply as DEC on the Dash 8. I am current on type and already Commander flying for Eurowings.
At the moment they have increased the salary for Captains and my wife and me can imagine to leave Germany and move to Riga with our children. Does anyone knows if all Dash 8 Captains will be trained for the A220 when die Q400 leaves the fleet? Or do I have to start again as FO. Is the salary correct, 8600 € before tax and approx. 7100 € net salary?
Would you recommand this step or would you stay away from Air Baltic? I also have the opportunity to change on the A320 for Eurowings as First Officer for half the salary I have right now and no upgrade the next maybe 10 years. I guess this sounds terrible, doesnt?
I would really appreciate any advise .
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: in a CB
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indeed, do not expect more than 9 days off per month, 4 of which in a row, the rest - random. If you attempt having a private life - you will be permanently tired. It is true that all Q400 pilots will move onto the A220, however, joining now, expect to stay until the end of Q400.
It’s a nice company, but the schedule has since long ago been rather bad; commuting is pretty much impossible, and Riga is not for everyone...
It’s a nice company, but the schedule has since long ago been rather bad; commuting is pretty much impossible, and Riga is not for everyone...
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: in a CB
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I admit it was quite a useless comment on my behalf, as the same can be said about most places. I've spent a few years in Riga so I have 'an opinion', but don't feel it's appropriate to share that here.
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Europe
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Yes and that will be the reason for the upcoming incident, its not the question if but when it will happen. Flight safety is not their number 1 priority at least on the Dash fleet. Do not tell passengers that flight crew is permanently tired because of unhealthy rostering.
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Riga
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Yes and that will be the reason for the upcoming incident, its not the question if but when it will happen. Flight safety is not their number 1 priority at least on the Dash fleet. Do not tell passengers that flight crew is permanently tired because of unhealthy rostering.
In the busiest summer months I flew roughly 70 hours a month with about 10 days off, FDP around 125 hours. There is no average roster but generally it looks something like this - 4 on, 3 off, 5 on, 2 off, 5 on, 4 off etc.. Never seen a 6-1, in fact "6 on" I've only seen with some standby days in the beginning or at the end of the period. I get about 2 to 3 short night stops a month and maybe 2 to 3 long night stops.
For the short night stop you check in at roughly 10 in the evening, fly to a close by destination (TKU,TMP, LED, KGD or LPX) you go to the hotel for about 2-3 hours and get back to Riga in the early hours of the morning. Check out before 7 in the morning and you are done.
Generally it's an ok place to work, their maintenance is the best I've seen - aircraft are in top condition, it is very rare to fly with something INOP, and if you do, it won't be long before it's fixed. Yes - some days are tougher than others, but there are very few days in a month when your duty period touches 12 hours and if it does - typically it's because you had long turnarounds/ground time. Most of the time your day is done after 8-9 hours of work. It's not a perfect roster but I prefer it over the Ryanairs famous 5/4 where for 5 days you do 12 hour duty and then spend 4 days in your bed trying to recover your will to live.
Upgrades to CS are happening and Dash captains become captains on CS, no one is downgraded to an FO. There's a system in which you can see the seniority list and who's ahead for an upgrade, the process is transparent, but sure enough if you join now you will probably stay on the dash for a while. Is it going to be till the end? I don't think so, there are some dash captains who don't want to go to the CS simply because it potentially will mean that they could be sent to Tallinn or Vilnius. Then there are the CS/737 FOs who will want to upgrade to left seat sooner rather than later again causing movement in the organization
If I was you Mehlsocke I would be more concerned about your wife/children. Sure enough if your wife likes to be a sit-at-home mom, I guess she will do fine, however any career opportunities for people not speaking Latvian are quite slim outside aviation industry/IT/Finance. There are very few international schools around for your children and the ones that exist seem to be geared towards the super-wealthy Russians.. there's really no middle ground when it comes to education
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: in a CB
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do you actually work/have ever worked in the company? I feel that there is a lot of rumor milling going on here and a very few facts. The only thing true is that the roster indeed is not commuter-friendly. Like for most airlines - make your base city your home and you'll be fine. The guys typically complaining the most are the ones who try to keep commuting going or who have bad sleeping habits. Eventually they fail and the bitterness comes out.
In the busiest summer months I flew roughly 70 hours a month with about 10 days off, FDP around 125 hours. There is no average roster but generally it looks something like this - 4 on, 3 off, 5 on, 2 off, 5 on, 4 off etc.. Never seen a 6-1, in fact "6 on" I've only seen with some standby days in the beginning or at the end of the period. I get about 2 to 3 short night stops a month and maybe 2 to 3 long night stops.
For the short night stop you check in at roughly 10 in the evening, fly to a close by destination (TKU,TMP, LED, KGD or LPX) you go to the hotel for about 2-3 hours and get back to Riga in the early hours of the morning. Check out before 7 in the morning and you are done.
Generally it's an ok place to work, their maintenance is the best I've seen - aircraft are in top condition, it is very rare to fly with something INOP, and if you do, it won't be long before it's fixed. Yes - some days are tougher than others, but there are very few days in a month when your duty period touches 12 hours and if it does - typically it's because you had long turnarounds/ground time. Most of the time your day is done after 8-9 hours of work. It's not a perfect roster but I prefer it over the Ryanairs famous 5/4 where for 5 days you do 12 hour duty and then spend 4 days in your bed trying to recover your will to live.
Upgrades to CS are happening and Dash captains become captains on CS, no one is downgraded to an FO. There's a system in which you can see the seniority list and who's ahead for an upgrade, the process is transparent, but sure enough if you join now you will probably stay on the dash for a while. Is it going to be till the end? I don't think so, there are some dash captains who don't want to go to the CS simply because it potentially will mean that they could be sent to Tallinn or Vilnius. Then there are the CS/737 FOs who will want to upgrade to left seat sooner rather than later again causing movement in the organization
If I was you Mehlsocke I would be more concerned about your wife/children. Sure enough if your wife likes to be a sit-at-home mom, I guess she will do fine, however any career opportunities for people not speaking Latvian are quite slim outside aviation industry/IT/Finance. There are very few international schools around for your children and the ones that exist seem to be geared towards the super-wealthy Russians.. there's really no middle ground when it comes to education
In the busiest summer months I flew roughly 70 hours a month with about 10 days off, FDP around 125 hours. There is no average roster but generally it looks something like this - 4 on, 3 off, 5 on, 2 off, 5 on, 4 off etc.. Never seen a 6-1, in fact "6 on" I've only seen with some standby days in the beginning or at the end of the period. I get about 2 to 3 short night stops a month and maybe 2 to 3 long night stops.
For the short night stop you check in at roughly 10 in the evening, fly to a close by destination (TKU,TMP, LED, KGD or LPX) you go to the hotel for about 2-3 hours and get back to Riga in the early hours of the morning. Check out before 7 in the morning and you are done.
Generally it's an ok place to work, their maintenance is the best I've seen - aircraft are in top condition, it is very rare to fly with something INOP, and if you do, it won't be long before it's fixed. Yes - some days are tougher than others, but there are very few days in a month when your duty period touches 12 hours and if it does - typically it's because you had long turnarounds/ground time. Most of the time your day is done after 8-9 hours of work. It's not a perfect roster but I prefer it over the Ryanairs famous 5/4 where for 5 days you do 12 hour duty and then spend 4 days in your bed trying to recover your will to live.
Upgrades to CS are happening and Dash captains become captains on CS, no one is downgraded to an FO. There's a system in which you can see the seniority list and who's ahead for an upgrade, the process is transparent, but sure enough if you join now you will probably stay on the dash for a while. Is it going to be till the end? I don't think so, there are some dash captains who don't want to go to the CS simply because it potentially will mean that they could be sent to Tallinn or Vilnius. Then there are the CS/737 FOs who will want to upgrade to left seat sooner rather than later again causing movement in the organization
If I was you Mehlsocke I would be more concerned about your wife/children. Sure enough if your wife likes to be a sit-at-home mom, I guess she will do fine, however any career opportunities for people not speaking Latvian are quite slim outside aviation industry/IT/Finance. There are very few international schools around for your children and the ones that exist seem to be geared towards the super-wealthy Russians.. there's really no middle ground when it comes to education
6on/4off/6on/3off/6/2/7(!)/1/5/1/5/4/6/2/3/2
October is my first month since April where I have 10 days off, 140-160 duty hours every month with 60-80 block (so yes, a lot of sitting around). Check in is constantly changing between 6am, 11am, 2pm, 5pm and 10pm, never less than 4 legs per day (except short nightstops, or longer layovers, for them it’s minimum 3 legs per day, including a possible DH flight).
Yes, doable, just how long do you want to do it?
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Riga
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We must be working in different BTs, because my roster sounds a bit different. This is my pattern from end of August until end of October:
6on/4off/6on/3off/6/2/7(!)/1/5/1/5/4/6/2/3/2
October is my first month since April where I have 10 days off, 140-160 duty hours every month with 60-80 block (so yes, a lot of sitting around). Check in is constantly changing between 6am, 11am, 2pm, 5pm and 10pm, never less than 4 legs per day (except short nightstops, or longer layovers, for them it’s minimum 3 legs per day, including a possible DH flight).
Yes, doable, just how long do you want to do it?
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Mordor :(
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So Direct Entry Command on the Q400 in Air Baltic is not the life of glamour and riches you expected?? Well I have some even more sad news for you, it’s very similar wherever you go. Any Turboprop pilot knows your pain, it’s the main reason no one really wants to fly one, regardless of type. The Turboprop is there to bring the pax from the regions to the main hub, doing multiple short sectors, and overnights.
Currently I fly anywhere between 75-85 hrs a month,( my worst was 92), usually with around 3 or 4 six sector days a month, thankfully at my base there are not so many night stops, but other bases have crew away for up to four nights. Roster is normally 5/2,but 6 on is not uncommon, but I am getting it easy compared to the First Officers, they are working 90 hrs a month since Christmas past, due to the shortage of crew. Now they are even being asked to work days off, and sell their leave back to the company. Before you start shouting that my salary is better, my current take home is about the same as a level three pay scale with Air Baltic, I do get a company pension, annual leave is thirty five days a year that must be used or lost.
So my advice would be forget about commuting, move your family, live in Riga, otherwise you will burn out. I have been there done that, and know from experience. Use the opportunity to gain command time, and think seriously about what you want from Aviation. I know former Q400 Cpts that have moved directly to left seat jet with other companies because of their time on the Q400, even I have been offered left seat A320, all because I did my time on the Q400.
Currently I fly anywhere between 75-85 hrs a month,( my worst was 92), usually with around 3 or 4 six sector days a month, thankfully at my base there are not so many night stops, but other bases have crew away for up to four nights. Roster is normally 5/2,but 6 on is not uncommon, but I am getting it easy compared to the First Officers, they are working 90 hrs a month since Christmas past, due to the shortage of crew. Now they are even being asked to work days off, and sell their leave back to the company. Before you start shouting that my salary is better, my current take home is about the same as a level three pay scale with Air Baltic, I do get a company pension, annual leave is thirty five days a year that must be used or lost.
So my advice would be forget about commuting, move your family, live in Riga, otherwise you will burn out. I have been there done that, and know from experience. Use the opportunity to gain command time, and think seriously about what you want from Aviation. I know former Q400 Cpts that have moved directly to left seat jet with other companies because of their time on the Q400, even I have been offered left seat A320, all because I did my time on the Q400.
Join Date: Jul 2011
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If Riga was my home, I could keep doing it and wait for better days, heck, maybe even fight for them. But it never was, isn't, and never will be; the question, as far as I am concerned, is what's the point of working this tiring roster and getting vacation requests denied, when, in this market, there are plenty of good jobs in nicer places? (spare me the 'grass is greener' lectures). Of course, unless that 4th stripe is the most important thing on the world... Yes, there are DEC jobs going from the Q400, but it's never the place you'd really want to end up in, always just another 'stepping stone', probably a bottom feeder too.
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Europe
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Hello Everibody
Hello Everybody,
I hope you all doing fine
Is there any good soul out there who knows, how is it going with Air Baltic recruitment for A220, Are they paying type rating? What is the current payment for FO I heard they have improve conditions.
Thank you in advance, any feedback is appreciated!
I hope you all doing fine
Is there any good soul out there who knows, how is it going with Air Baltic recruitment for A220, Are they paying type rating? What is the current payment for FO I heard they have improve conditions.
Thank you in advance, any feedback is appreciated!
Join Date: May 2018
Location: South of the North pole
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Hows AB doing with their DEC on the Q400 with upgrades to A220 within 2 years according to latest adverts? Any scheduling and roster improvements or new bidding system in the pipeline or already active?