BA CitiExpress Life
 

Hi All

Would appreciate some feedback from the CitiExpress crews out there, specifically those operating Dash8 from MAN.

What's rostering like at the mo ? How many days, sectors etc on average ?

Understand that intention is to stop operating the Dash8 by the end of the year (or is it 2005 ?). Will the crew be transferred to another fleet, or 'loaned' to the new aircraft owners..al la Eastern, Logan etc - or is this not yet known ?

How's morale at the mo ?

Thanks for any feedback

Mack

Mind me asking as to why?

Rumour's rife about the fleets demise and where the aircraft will go. Eastern and Loggie probably with the chance that Air Southwest may take a few more airframes. All are sure to be in the running with alot more expansion in the pipeline for Eastern especially.

The aircraft probably going cheap like the 41's will only add to their rapid placement elsewhere.

BA's lose will be there gain once more.

Once there was BRAL, BRYMON,MANX

Now there is EASTERN,LOGGIE,SOUTHWEST.

Same aircraft same crews different names painted on the side.

Brucey: Sad but accurate comment on what happens when mainline BA gets there hands on regional airlines. Long term what price on BA get involved with the present three.

Brucey - I'm in the hold pool (have been for a while) and had heard (purely informally !!!) that there may be opportunities in the near future.

I've actually had to go back to my previous career (which I'm actually quite enjoying!) and although want to fly must take into account location, prospects, stability and of course $$. As you get further up one career ladder, the fall to the bottom of the other gets longer...

Just trying to gather information with which to make decisions.

Mack,

Think it's just clicked who you are from your previous posts,

'I KNOW YOUR NAME'.

Good luck and all the best with future whatever you decide.:ok:

Do you ?? Gimme a clue !

Hello
Anyone have any idea how long the dash 8 will continue for CitiExpress? Once the fleet is all jet will the turbo prop pilots move over to jets? Lastly if you had the choice Eastern or CitiExpress?

Cheers
zero:confused:

Zero - you got the choice ?

Be nice if you had 6 months on TP then moved to jet. Based on recent disposals probably more likely to go with the TP as a package to a new owner, wherever that may be. That's the problem - accept one job with location, T&Cs and six months later end up with something completely different.

The CX/Eastern choice is a hard one. Under normal circumstances I guess the larger airline, with more jets, therefore more opportunities for advancement, would be the logical choice. However, the large one appears to be shrinking, the smaller one growing, so it depends if and when the lines cross !

If stability of job and location (within reason) is important, Eastern would appear to be the better choice. If you were a little riskier, CX may be worth it. Let's face it, if you join one, you could well end up working for the other anyway..

The only reason ANY jobs are available is because of the useless management and their inability to plan anything.

There are now so very many people leaving BACX having had enough of the lies, the incompetence, the broken promises etc that a hefty recruiting drive is in place. This is purely because management made assumptions about the cr@p they might be able to get away with selling to the troops. They were wrong. They are almost panicking because so many people they thought they could bully onto this or that course have said - "Get Stuffed"

By all means, they will make you all sorts of promises, but they are a busted flush. The reason behind the mass exodus - and that REALLY is what is going on - is that none of us trust or believe a single word coming down from Tim de la Tosspot and his minions. God only knows what the final agenda is, but believe it, the Eight will not be with us for very long, (maybe a year to 18 months is my bet) and the only bases reckoned to be in with a chance are BHX and MAN. If you are there and reasonable senior - well, you have no more chance of stability than anywhere else (hysterical laughter!!).

Good luck with whatever you do, but speak to a curent BACXer if you can, and read the small print very very carefully and then count your fingers. If you do get any choice, the RJ is the one to go for. All the other operators are not interested in Barbytoyjet time, so no benefit with that one.

Hasta la vista - BABEE

There will certainly be jobs in the short term

As one of requested operators here are the details:

Pay - starts £20,000 going up about £1k / yr for 1st five, plus flight pay of 1.50/hr - last month 320 hours.

Man roster for me last month (Feb) 74 sectors, 14 nights in a hotel. (Example 1 nt EDI, next GLA, next EDI, or worse the Stormont in Belfast :yuk: )

Latest business plan includes the fact Dash makes a profit and BACX are looking at the possibility of extending lease beyond 2005. IE they are staying (well thats this weeks plan).

Morale - LOW. You will be OK if you don't mind continuous moaning about no of nights in hotel, being fatigued, no promotion etc.

Flying the aircraft - Brilliant. I really love it. If you see being a pilot as a glamorous well paid career chances are youll be miserable. If you like to call visual and fly an aircraft in the old fashioned way it is great.

Good luck with the choice.

CX are really screwing their crews, I have never met a bunch of such demoralised pi$$ed off individuals.

The ATP went very very quickly with many of the crews being moved bases more than twice in as many months and in fact some having to move companies.

The chances of moving to the jet are shrinking and the new rumour is that FLYBE may well take on several of the RJ's. That has come from FLYBE not CX so I can see there being an element of truth.

A Dash course will get you into the market; get you the hours and some very good experience. but for how long who knows. Remember the last intake? Where people were CX employees for a week. ATP if I remember.
If you can get into Eastern, Loggie or southwest do, they are good outfits especially with the chance of new types (well maybe the old CX types but new to them), bases etc. At least the outlook and management strategy is going in the right direction, i.e. expansion of routes, fleets etc.

IMHO there is only one place that CX is going and that’s to the wall. How long this will take is anybody's guess.
Understand one thing if nothing else, it will be the crews at the bottom of the seniority list that go first.

Good luck to you all, I know some have been waiting for a long time for this chance and have been staying current instructing examining etc. Use you other contacts with the other airlines, you might just get an 'in' closer to home ;) :ok: