Avion Express
And that is all part of the race to the bottom. What if all those other jobs realize we are willing to fly for nothing. Not saying I have a solution, but as an absolute minimum, we should absolutely, collectively never think, post, or say it is okay to fly paying passengers for substandard pay to get current. Companies like this don't deserve to survive. "We can afford to charge you less, because we pay our pilots less. We can do that because they aren't as qualified". Is that really what you mean??
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And that is all part of the race to the bottom. What if all those other jobs realize we are willing to fly for nothing. Not saying I have a solution, but as an absolute minimum, we should absolutely, collectively never think, post, or say it is okay to fly paying passengers for substandard pay to get current. Companies like this don't deserve to survive. "We can afford to charge you less, because we pay our pilots less. We can do that because they aren't as qualified". Is that really what you mean??
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So are you suggesting pilots who haven't flown for an extended amount of time should do nothing, and keep not flying? Absurdity. Any job is better than not being current. Only people who are short sighted would think otherwise. These companies who you deem as 'non bottom feeders', want people who have flown recently - so to have any chance of getting there, you need to start somewhere. End of story.
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So are you suggesting pilots who haven't flown for an extended amount of time should do nothing, and keep not flying? Absurdity. Any job is better than not being current. Only people who are short sighted would think otherwise. These companies who you deem as 'non bottom feeders', want people who have flown recently - so to have any chance of getting there, you need to start somewhere. End of story.
In my neck of the woods it amazes me what pilots 5 years ago would consider completely unacceptable, only today walk over dead bodies to accept. All in the interest of getting ahead and getting back in the air. Sadly, this in a heavily unionized airline. I despair.
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Hello !
Just finished (...not ) the technical Test , you have to to be the fastest airbus test quiz pilot !!!
60 (yes sixty ...) in 20 minutes ! that's around 1 q every 20 sec !
Off course in the mail that you are going to receive you will be informed that you going to have .....2 hours , but not....
I complain with a mail , they terminate me after 5 min......
(it was a fail anyway ....)
Just finished (...not ) the technical Test , you have to to be the fastest airbus test quiz pilot !!!
60 (yes sixty ...) in 20 minutes ! that's around 1 q every 20 sec !
Off course in the mail that you are going to receive you will be informed that you going to have .....2 hours , but not....
I complain with a mail , they terminate me after 5 min......
(it was a fail anyway ....)
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At Avion Express, crews (flight deck & cabin) are working as freelancers, with no benefits, nor taxes paid, nor mutual assistance from any State (especially from ex-soviet Lithuania).
Avion Express is an ACMI belonging to Avia Solution Group (ASG), meaning that profit is everything and that the real workers are just meaningless numbers.
Before the crisis, crew members received basic pay for a living and Block Hours pay was a well accepted extra.
When the pandemic first hit on March 2020, some crews where in different bases and were sent home with no future plan ahead, like many other companies did.
Some crews were stuck in bases such as in the Middle East and in Vilnius, when the company informed everyone via a simple email that the salary from the PREVIOUS month was going to be cut by a 30% from the gross total. Some crews lost valuable money that could have helped them and their families to have some more financial base to get through the pandemic. This 30% of cut was, moreover, taken from money earned from already flown hours and sacrificed lifetime spent in places like Vietnam (5 planes with pages-long MELs were based in Saigon at that time).
Not happy yet, the management took the decision to remove the basic pay from all crews (without unemployment assistance from any State). Everyone was put on a Pay per Block Hour (PBH) contract. Since there were almost no flights, zero was the amount of money to be expected each month from Avion. The only exemptions were crews based in the Middle East (the client did not accept that the crews stuck there were irregularly underpaid) and the ones stuck in Vilnius (those were receiving Per Diems).
Any of the attempts to restore the previous salaries by founding a Union between crew members was shut down by sending firing letters to the ones involved.
On May 2020, many chosen pilots and CCs (depending on their relationship with the management and absolutely not per meritocracy, seniority or performance) were fired. Some of them received a firing letter even while performing flights. Only around 60 pilots out of 220 "survived" the massacre.
At the beginning of Summer 2020, the management informed the crews that the Per Diems of the PBH contracts were going to have a further 40% cut from the gross Per Diems.
The Summer and Autumn went along with almost no flights due to the restrictions across Europe. The base in Middle East moved to Africa, those crews were rotated with others after being absent from home for more than 6 months. Many Crew members were infected by the Covid-19 virus and no special interest, compensation or help towards them was offered by the Company during their stay in African hospitals.
A new contract started on October 2020 with only a few planes, and in November a further Per Diems cut of 40% was announced. The reason behind that was that the Commercial Department had dealt such a low price with the client, that the crews had to pay out the difference. Profits for the shareholders were kept at the same percentage.
On December 2020 a new contract was announced, with charter flights and planes based in Vilnius starting from Spring 2021. The conditions proposed by the management were absolutely insane and unworthy but, since still in the middle of the Pandemic, several crews accepted that contract as well. The choice was between flying a bit and gaining recency, or sitting at home on a couch.
Crews moved to Vilnius without accommodation; taxes, and transport to/from work not supported by the company. Captains would be able to go even with the money earned and spent, first officers would have to put some of their own savings in order to work and survive.
The P2F scheme for Cadets was started again, so experienced first officers and normal captains (non-LTCs) would see their block hours shrink to the lowest bottom again.
Summer 2021 started, some crews were sent to new bases with the same low salary. The Company started hiring back some Pilots, based on old favours and friendships to training department and management people. The Company that during meetings was assuring "Seniority above-all selection criteria", started sending new guys (but old friends) to the more desired bases, where salaries were still untouched from prior the Pandemic.
In the bases the mood is low as the salaries, pilots started being even more frustrated and stressed due to lack of money to feed their families. Flight performances and flight safety is extremely jeopardised by keeping pilots depressed. Nobody cares anymore about SOPs (unless during Line Checks), since everyone is looking for a new Company. Many worthy people will leave and be replaced by others, who will be just keen to get back their recency in order to apply elsewhere.
Looks like training people and losing them at record speeds has become a new hobby of Avion Express. Training has a high cost, and it’s currently mostly wasted money.
The PBH contract pushes pilots and CCs to hide their health status, so many were found taking pills in order to fly with Covid-19 symptoms. The “calling sick rate” is the lowest ever recorded by the company.
Rotations are endless, sometimes longer than 2 months, spent in cheap hotels.
Winter is coming, so let's see how many more interesting decisions will be taken by the management within the next months.
Hope this post helped to understand the behaviour of Avion Express, and have an objective idea about if applying or not for a job there.
Avion Express is an ACMI belonging to Avia Solution Group (ASG), meaning that profit is everything and that the real workers are just meaningless numbers.
Before the crisis, crew members received basic pay for a living and Block Hours pay was a well accepted extra.
When the pandemic first hit on March 2020, some crews where in different bases and were sent home with no future plan ahead, like many other companies did.
Some crews were stuck in bases such as in the Middle East and in Vilnius, when the company informed everyone via a simple email that the salary from the PREVIOUS month was going to be cut by a 30% from the gross total. Some crews lost valuable money that could have helped them and their families to have some more financial base to get through the pandemic. This 30% of cut was, moreover, taken from money earned from already flown hours and sacrificed lifetime spent in places like Vietnam (5 planes with pages-long MELs were based in Saigon at that time).
Not happy yet, the management took the decision to remove the basic pay from all crews (without unemployment assistance from any State). Everyone was put on a Pay per Block Hour (PBH) contract. Since there were almost no flights, zero was the amount of money to be expected each month from Avion. The only exemptions were crews based in the Middle East (the client did not accept that the crews stuck there were irregularly underpaid) and the ones stuck in Vilnius (those were receiving Per Diems).
Any of the attempts to restore the previous salaries by founding a Union between crew members was shut down by sending firing letters to the ones involved.
On May 2020, many chosen pilots and CCs (depending on their relationship with the management and absolutely not per meritocracy, seniority or performance) were fired. Some of them received a firing letter even while performing flights. Only around 60 pilots out of 220 "survived" the massacre.
At the beginning of Summer 2020, the management informed the crews that the Per Diems of the PBH contracts were going to have a further 40% cut from the gross Per Diems.
The Summer and Autumn went along with almost no flights due to the restrictions across Europe. The base in Middle East moved to Africa, those crews were rotated with others after being absent from home for more than 6 months. Many Crew members were infected by the Covid-19 virus and no special interest, compensation or help towards them was offered by the Company during their stay in African hospitals.
A new contract started on October 2020 with only a few planes, and in November a further Per Diems cut of 40% was announced. The reason behind that was that the Commercial Department had dealt such a low price with the client, that the crews had to pay out the difference. Profits for the shareholders were kept at the same percentage.
On December 2020 a new contract was announced, with charter flights and planes based in Vilnius starting from Spring 2021. The conditions proposed by the management were absolutely insane and unworthy but, since still in the middle of the Pandemic, several crews accepted that contract as well. The choice was between flying a bit and gaining recency, or sitting at home on a couch.
Crews moved to Vilnius without accommodation; taxes, and transport to/from work not supported by the company. Captains would be able to go even with the money earned and spent, first officers would have to put some of their own savings in order to work and survive.
The P2F scheme for Cadets was started again, so experienced first officers and normal captains (non-LTCs) would see their block hours shrink to the lowest bottom again.
Summer 2021 started, some crews were sent to new bases with the same low salary. The Company started hiring back some Pilots, based on old favours and friendships to training department and management people. The Company that during meetings was assuring "Seniority above-all selection criteria", started sending new guys (but old friends) to the more desired bases, where salaries were still untouched from prior the Pandemic.
In the bases the mood is low as the salaries, pilots started being even more frustrated and stressed due to lack of money to feed their families. Flight performances and flight safety is extremely jeopardised by keeping pilots depressed. Nobody cares anymore about SOPs (unless during Line Checks), since everyone is looking for a new Company. Many worthy people will leave and be replaced by others, who will be just keen to get back their recency in order to apply elsewhere.
Looks like training people and losing them at record speeds has become a new hobby of Avion Express. Training has a high cost, and it’s currently mostly wasted money.
The PBH contract pushes pilots and CCs to hide their health status, so many were found taking pills in order to fly with Covid-19 symptoms. The “calling sick rate” is the lowest ever recorded by the company.
Rotations are endless, sometimes longer than 2 months, spent in cheap hotels.
Winter is coming, so let's see how many more interesting decisions will be taken by the management within the next months.
Hope this post helped to understand the behaviour of Avion Express, and have an objective idea about if applying or not for a job there.
I can see a lot of people are applying again for Avion Express after reading this feedback from StasysViltrakis.
I have a quick question:
Does anyone know if they are improving the Term and Conditions to be considered as an opportunity to start?
thank you
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Our bases for High Season 2022: Turkey (AYT), Germany (DUS, STR), Dominican Republic (SDQ), Lithuania (VNO), Jordan (AMM), more bases to be added.
The Compensation for High Season 2022 (80 BH/month may be expected during the high season):
Captains
Fixed monthly compensation: 3500 EUR
Block hour payment: 50 EUR
First Officers
Fixed monthly compensation: 2000 EUR
Block hour payment: 30/35 EUR (based on the experience on type)
Travel, transportation, and accommodation is covered by the company from the very first day of training. All the crew members are covered by the Travel Insurance, including medical expenses whenever on the operating base.
Roster
European region: 9 consecutive days off in the period of 1 month
Non-European region: 15 consecutive days off after 33 days of duty
The Compensation for High Season 2022 (80 BH/month may be expected during the high season):
Captains
Fixed monthly compensation: 3500 EUR
Block hour payment: 50 EUR
First Officers
Fixed monthly compensation: 2000 EUR
Block hour payment: 30/35 EUR (based on the experience on type)
Travel, transportation, and accommodation is covered by the company from the very first day of training. All the crew members are covered by the Travel Insurance, including medical expenses whenever on the operating base.
Roster
European region: 9 consecutive days off in the period of 1 month
Non-European region: 15 consecutive days off after 33 days of duty
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Hello !
Just finished (...not ) the technical Test , you have to to be the fastest airbus test quiz pilot !!!
60 (yes sixty ...) in 20 minutes ! that's around 1 q every 20 sec !
Off course in the mail that you are going to receive you will be informed that you going to have .....2 hours , but not....
I complain with a mail , they terminate me after 5 min......
(it was a fail anyway ....)
Just finished (...not ) the technical Test , you have to to be the fastest airbus test quiz pilot !!!
60 (yes sixty ...) in 20 minutes ! that's around 1 q every 20 sec !
Off course in the mail that you are going to receive you will be informed that you going to have .....2 hours , but not....
I complain with a mail , they terminate me after 5 min......
(it was a fail anyway ....)
hello, good morning.
I Will do the Technical Test on 15th July, can you give me more information about what kind of questions I can expect ? Do you know if have some question bank for this test ? What is the best way to prepare myself?
king Regards
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I passed last week in the Technical test and they excluded me because of my psychometric test. I’m frustrated, I don’t know what to say…
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Hello everyone!
I can see a lot of people are applying again for Avion Express after reading this feedback from StasysViltrakis.
I have a quick question:
Does anyone know if they are improving the Term and Conditions to be considered as an opportunity to start?
thank you
I can see a lot of people are applying again for Avion Express after reading this feedback from StasysViltrakis.
I have a quick question:
Does anyone know if they are improving the Term and Conditions to be considered as an opportunity to start?
thank you
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An insider for everyone interested at this place
crew control managed by a lady covered from the top mangement who believes to own you and sometimes blackmail you together with her colleagues.
some very folkloristic and careerists pilots, except few good men,including a couple of scambags who are really characters and behave like super competent but ask yourself
why they are still there.Be careful of the spanish guy and his minions.
Stasys is correct by all means... some would never pass an easa medical anywhere else but their countries.
A very interesting and funny circus where you have to watch your back and ask yourself why they are always looking for pilots
crew control managed by a lady covered from the top mangement who believes to own you and sometimes blackmail you together with her colleagues.
some very folkloristic and careerists pilots, except few good men,including a couple of scambags who are really characters and behave like super competent but ask yourself
why they are still there.Be careful of the spanish guy and his minions.
Stasys is correct by all means... some would never pass an easa medical anywhere else but their countries.
A very interesting and funny circus where you have to watch your back and ask yourself why they are always looking for pilots
Last edited by UpandU; 10th Sep 2022 at 09:04.
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They destroyed me
Ended up doing the OPC with an Italian and Greek TRE. Although the Italian TRE was supposed to conduct the sim, the Greek guy completely took over the show. I was subjected to intimidation, humiliation, abuse and bullying throughout the course of the simulator. I was brutally destroyed. I’m normally a strong person but my mental health has suffered as a result of what I went through and Avion Express could not be bothered. CRM is a major issue here and needs addressing before a major incident occurs. I am currently submitting reports to various authorities over the conduct of the whole episode. My advice is to avoid this company like the plague.