Polish airline scene 2012
 

This is directed mainly at our central European colleagues. The airline scene in Poland seems to be changing fast...

- Air Poland recently went out of business, putting some 737NG-rated people out of a job;
- A (reportedly substantial) number of Enter Air's 737 pilots have handed in their notice, apparently due to low pay - even by Polish standards...
- A new charter outfit, Bingo Air, has just emerged with A320s;
- Some pilots recently left flag carrier's LOT's E-jet fleet for OLT Express' expanding A320 fleet (some apparently due to lack of command prospects in the short/medium term);
- Some EuroLOT ATR pilots reportedly joined OLT Express' ATR fleet.

So a lot going on in the Polish pilot job market at the moment. Which outfit will gain from the movement is not yet clear; possibly Ryanair and Wizzair (with their local bases), plus up-and-coming OLT Express...

Cheers :cool:

Gday


yeah most ya info is spot on, except the one about Some pilots recently leaving LOTs Ejet fleet for Expanding OLT Express :) I know for a fact its only 1 pilot :) Lets stick to facts please :)

Cheers

Of course! My info was pieced together from second-hand sources, that why it's not 100% accurate. Feel free to correct as needed. Anyway, good to see that even in tough times, some people have enough guts to hand in their notice when they're not treated fairly. Somehow I can't imagine that happening in Western Europe...

So how's the A320 compared to the E-jet then? ;)

what about this?

Eurolot Signs for up to 20 Bombardier Q400 NextGen Airliners | INTERNATIONAL AVIATION NEWS

That's yesterday's news mate... According to the delivery schedule, EuroLOT should get their first Q400 this month, with crews currently being type rated in the UK.

Call me biased, but I prefer the ATR!

Crews for dash being trained in UK as well as Canada :)

A320 compared to Ejet... didnt say the 1 pilot who made the move was me :)

Ejet is far more advanced tho, let me tell you :):E

So the lucky ones go to Toronto? Nice!

Yeah from what I see (on the occasional jumpseat), E-jets have some very nice features. I like the SID/RoC profile view, drop-down menus, etc. Plus of course controls and thrust levers that actually move and have feedback! And performance to boot. Makes the A320 look its age...

Yeah the A320 has some good features too, specially considering it entered service over 20yrs ago... but the Ejet takes the Technologically Advanced cake :)

From FL370 to landing in 13 minutes... good job!

Incident: OLT Express A320 near Sofia on May 17th 2012, loss of cabin pressure, fire in cabin
http://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/4...ing-sofia.html

Very good job by the crew, specially considering it was a Line training flight .... :)

:ok:

OLT
 

Hello!

First of all, good Thread! Seems like Poland is one of few countries in EU where you can get jobs! :D
I was trying to find out more about OLT, what is the plan for that guys? To compete with FR and W6 on European routes, or to do the killing on home ground vs LOT and Eurolot? I also heard they fly some holiday charter... How many airframes planned, A320?
Any info appreciated! I also heard they pay much better then any other operator in PL:E
Thanks:ok:

Poland has indeed a fairly dynamic airline scene - unlike in Western Europe...

From the outside, OLT Express look more like competing with LOT/EuroLOT on domestic and regional routes than with the likes of Wizzair and Ryanair. Some have tried that before and bit the dust...

Once Euro 2012 is over and they have grabbed market share, I suspect they will re-task their A319/320s to European routes - can't really be making money in the long run flying A320s on domestic routes against LOT E-170s and EuroLOT ATRs and Q400s... They do operate charter flights with A320s, but with the "YAP" callsign inherited from Yes Airways - such as YAP7107 to Hurgada that diverted to Sofia.

As of May, fleet numbers were 2 ATR42s and 4 ATR72s, with 5 more to come. 8 A320s, plus 1 A319. Btw, paying "much better than any other operator in PL" does not mean much...

Thanks for the update!

With regards to the pay, that is only what I heard... €225/day for F/O, if being true, is far better then any other pl ops I know (apart from biz jets).

Perhaps, someone from the inside could enlighten us :-)

225 Euro per flying day for an A320 FO? That would be pretty good by Polish standards... Any idea of the going rate for captains on the ATR fleet?

Whiskey On Board
 

If you want more specific info and details, pvt msg me, ill help you out.

It is the best paying airline in PL today.

One out (Air Poland), one in (Bingo Airways)... talk about never-ending motion!

New Polish Airline Takes Off: key.Aero, Commercial Aviation

Air Poland has a new investor, is about to return to the market again.. least thats the rumour.. :)

Good to see.

recruitment at OLT
 

Hi there.

Is there any recruitment scheduled for Captains on the ATR at OLT?

Best regards

From what im told YES. They are taking Capt on ATR fleet, however the ATR and BUS feelts are seperate subsidiaries, so i cant tell ya much more!

Enter Air now has one 737 operating out of Paris-Roissy/Charles de Gaulle airport, flying (mostly to the Canary Islands) on behalf of French tour operators. It joins Small Planet Airlines, who also base a 737-300 and a A320 at the main Paris airport:

enter air : Départ immédiat

For the benefit of non-French speakers, the article mentions that French charter airlines are not amused by such competition on their home turf, SPA for instance offering the same level of service for 20% less cost. Air Mediterranee's CEO even questions their right to (temporarily) base aircraft and crews in France... but conveniently forgets to mention that the airline he heads recently delocalized part of its fleet (and crews) to Greece! Talk about double standards...

Cheers :cool:

Some interesting analysis here:
Poland’s OLT Express plans international expansion | CAPA

Cheers :cool:

OLT
 

Good Stuff!!!:D

I really hope that OLT will do good, even though I work for the competition.
More A/C and more flights means that everyone of us is worth more to the potential or/and current employer! :ok:

BTW, I overheard that OLT will open ops base in Lodz(LCJ) with 2xA320, I am not sure about that, could be only gossip...:rolleyes:
Has anyone else heard that?

OLT
 

Bases likely in Lodz, Gdansk, Rzeszow and Bydgoszcz :)

Enjoy boys!

OLT owners Amber Gold - what gives?
 

I read an extensive and thorough put down of the Amber Gold crowd here

Travel Tips and Deals | Inside Traveller

Amber Gold are the owners of OLT, and according to the blog postDoes anyone here have a take on this? Are all those new routes scheduled for the fall going to see the light of day?

Only time will tell... lot of talk going on though...

Wizzair has left the doors wide open with the move out of EPWA... so i think itll happen... but what would i know... :)

OLT
 

would not to excited about OLT and what they are up to , the pilots have not been paid for last month yet. Company giving lame excuses to why. Say they might get paid Friday, don't hold your breath.
Beginning of the end?
The about of bad press in Poland regarding Mr Goldmember (Amber Gold) must be having an effect, would you invest in a company that gives 13.5% interest?

Modlin Airport has troublesome first day - Warsaw Business Journal - Online Portal - wbj.pl

Cheers :cool:

Hi Everyone,

Can you recommend any Polish airline that can hire FO without TR? I am from Lithuania and even understand Polish language. I tried to sent CV for some Polish airlines but had never gotten any response. Is that caused by no TR or that I am not Polish citizen? Maybe calling can help?

Try Wizz! Other airlines will require TR or some "friend" (LOT).

All the best!

Your in line with hundreds of other Polish guys without Type rating, why should they take you...?

LOT isnt recruiting anytime soon, specially since they are withdrawing the 737 fleet... however you dont need a friend to go to LOT, im living proof :)

Cheers

Well done Aussie, perhaps you were employed somewhere around 2005? These days I'm afraid getting to LOT would require some good "reference" would you agree?
Anyway, I wish all the best for all operators in PL sky! The last thing we need is another company going upside down...
BTW, did the OLT guys got paid?

Have a nice weekend guys! :ok:

OLT
 

moved from terms and endearment:

OLT started from 0 a/c in April 2011 to 11 Airbus up to date, acc airfleets.net, + 2 ATR = 13 aircraft.
All this expansion during a global economical downturn and in a market with very tough competition and really low charter rates....on top: not the "creme de la creme" management in this aircraft operating company (intentionally I do not say "airline")...........
For me it smells like in a very big laundry
Good luck for all the employees involved.

Nuh mate, employed 3 yrs later, in 2008. Moved on since. Yeah they were good times back then, but i know the recruiting team, i know how they work and what they look and stand for... I dont believe you need a reference to get in. Yes it might help, but it def doesnt exclude others to get in if they dont have a reference...

Good luck.

Yeah OLT has been paid :)

Decent analysis of the Polish aviation market, including after OLT Express suspended scheduled ops as of yesterday:
Polish air traffic booming in 2012; Emirates launching flights to Warsaw next February as Warsaw Modlin opens for LCCs | anna.aero

Cheers :cool:

Interestingly, since OLT Express stopped flying, LOT/EuroLOT have introduced a new 48.60 PLN (about 11 Euro) "booking fee", and increased some of their domestic fares by up to 50%... nice! :* They again have the domestic market to themselves after all...

Cheers :cool:

Well with those fares, are they even making any money? Or at the very least, narrowing the gap, or drifting further into the red? Haven't heard much news on their earnings lately.. Because from what I understand when OLT was operating they dropped prices to stay competitive with them and were operating routes at a loss, which doesn't help anybody unless people are interested to see the demise of both airlines, which doesn't seem far out anyways.

Pretty much back to business as usual then... except for the higher fares of course!

OLT Express collapse leaves limited gap in the Polish market | CAPA - Centre for Aviation

Cheers :cool:

From Airline, Airport and Aviation Route News & Analysis | anna.aero

Passengers arriving on eurolot’s inaugural flight from Gdańsk to Katowice were welcomed with a traditional water cannon salute, while those departing to the northern Polish city were invited to sign a commemorative poster. In the future, eurolot plans to operate the route with its new Q400 aircraft.

eurolot, the state-owned Polish regional airline, launched operation on the 440-kilometre domestic route from Katowice (KTW) to Gdańsk (GDN) on 3 September. Services on the south to north routing are now offered with six weekly frequencies and operated with ATR 72s. There is no competition on the route, however, it was previously operated first by Jetair and then by its successor, OLT Express. Following the latter’s demise, services on the route were discontinued in late July. The new service comes as second former OLT Express route to be taken up by eurolot, after flights from Kraków to Poznań were inaugurated two weeks ago.

Cheers :cool:

Does anybody have any news from Polish airlines? Maybe some are already preparing for 2013 season? Any planned hires? Can you recommend any Polish sites where to look like Og And the biggest question again: Does a guy without TR who can understand Polish has any chance?

Eurolot plans to hire in december or early next year, for the dash. Type rating not required. Be prepared to sign a bond