I wish you the best of luck with the fight. Important for the real SAS pilots and all other European pilots that this sort of thing is stopped.

The only ex-SAS pilots that have been welcomed to SAS Connect are the once who were members of FPU union. FPU members were less than 0,5% of SAS pilots and they were the once who signed a CBA (for SAS Connect) with SAS management behind the backs of everyone else. The rest of the pilots at SAS were part of SPG (SAS Pilot Group) and they are not called to SAS Connect although 560 of them are unemplyed. Sad story.

This is not correct anymore. Actually SK(old SAS) offered reemployment to 50 pilots(ARN & OSL base). Among them many old CPH employees, but almost all of them decided to turn down SK and go to SAS Connect instead. I don't know the reason for this, anyone with more info? Have they been promised quick upgrades or is it the CPH base that’s the deal breaker?

Anyway there are a lot of old SK employees on their way to connect now, both FPU members and former SPG members..

Some rumors around that the first course has been cancelled until further notice. Anyone that can confirm this? Have assessment been paused aswell?

Latest update is that 108 pilots of the 560 laid off pilots have been called back to SAS SK. This will barely cover pensions.
With regards to SAS Connect, they are hiring. Still most of the former employees of SAS SK are turned down. It seems a good idea to be a member of FPU, if you want the job.
It is worth mentioning that there is an IFALPA recruitment ban on SAS Connect and Link, so one should think twice before accepting a job there right now.
As for former SK employees turning down the offer for reemployment to go to Connect instead, that is not something I have heard. Some CPH based pilots turn down the offer because they are offered ARN/OSL base and would rather wait for CPH base.

Where do you see that there is an IFALPA recruitment ban out?
On IFALPA's website, there's a "cancelled request" for assistance from NFU back in October.

What does the IFALPA recruitment ban mean in specific terms?

Apparently the NF request has been cancelled 13 Oct but there is another from the Swedish union SPF 25 Oct:
https://www.ifalpa.org/mutual-assistance-requests/

Hi Everybody, I apllied to both SAS Connect and SAS Link in November 2021, no answer so far. Please, any news about their screening and hiring? Thank you

Same here, it's been total radio silence.

Have the union situation been solved, or is still a strike within "main" SAS likely in April?

Does a SAS main strike not just play into the hands of Connect? They end up getting more work?

Connect is not big enough to cover the loss of production. Still main pilots has the power to influence their own future as well as that of working conditions in the whole industry.

How big are they now? Two bases, but how many aircraft? And they get all new Airbus deliveries?

I am ex SAS and this is my view:

There is no hope for a solution to the conflict between management and pilot unions. The management simply don't want unions, they want to control everything. The unions presented an offer with a total saving of about 30% in salaries and increased production, but management said no. The idea, hatched and nourished by a few individiuals in the top (not the CEO actually), is to have production platforms that produce traffic with various aircrafts in different sizes depending on demand. This means of course that every second or third year the bidding war will start over again and every supplier risks losing the contract with SAS, therefore the cost hunt will never stop. SAS Ireland, SAS Estonia, SAS Lithuania, SAS Moldovia, the possibilities are endless. Of course, the customer experience is promised to be identical.... This concept is called "enhanced operating model". The only thing that is not enhanced in this concept is management and head office where business is more or less unchanged. Many administrative colleagues have been laid off, placed in other departments but the ones still working received a yearly pay increase. SAS Ireland and SAS Link will "buy" services from SAS infrastructure, crew planning / ops / support functions.

SAS seems to be in limbo right now. They have called back about 100 pilots that were laid off in 2020, still there are 450 pilots left. As traffic demand picks up, restrictions in europé are lifted, the hiring would need to accelerate as well. From what I know, only a very limited number of pilots have been hired for the SAS Ireland base in Copenhagen.

Yes, the plan is to assign all future Neo deliveries to SAS Ireland.

Yes, it will be a conflict between SAS management and the unions this spring. SAS still has some 800-900 pilots employed, and the majority of traffic in terms of passenger numbers is flown by SAS Scandinavia (funny, what else would SAS be if not Scandinavia?) and all long haul flights are operated by SAS.

Are you rated in both A320 and E190?

Thanks for an insightful answer.
What does the unions want to avoid conflict? That all laid off pilots in "main" SAS get priority into SAS connect and SAS link before any external recruitment or that SAS connect and SAS link gets scrapped as a whole?

Getting priority into Connect/Link would be tiny act of fairness but still a huge deterioration in working conditions for the crew. No, the union want the project to be scrapped and previous agreements honored where a limited part of the production may be done outside of SK. The agreement has been violated for years but not to extent we see today with Connect/Link.

Is Scandinavian language, Norwegian, Swedish or Danish required for SAS Connect FO position? Like mainline SK does?
All SAS flight I have been on, pilot could speak fluent Scandinavian language,,,

As the new SPG (SAS Pilot Group) agreement is signed, these previous requirements might be valid again. But as far as I've heard, this information is not available.

You’d also be behind the 300+ former pilots SAS is legally required to rehire before you. Also all pilots in the SAS group is now on a Master Sen. List based on DOH within the SAS Group, including the Connect DEP’s which based on this will be at the very bottom behind the yet to be rehired pilots.

If SAS decides to bury Connect in the near future, since there’s no longer any savings to be made, all pilots will be merged by seniority into SAS including the requirements there. This includes a (any) scandi language (for now)…

Unless you were hired into the LHR base, in which case, you’re not subject to the same rule.

100% true, I forgot the LHR base.

I believe they’re on CAE contracts? In which case, if and when SAS decides to close Connect, they’ll work their notice period and be laid off. Hopefully by then the pilot market will have picked up in the UK. Not sure if you’re from the UK that commuting to a top tax scandi land is a great option.

I would definitely think two or three times if I were about to join SAS Ireland. Any upgrade for co-pilots is not going to happen as there are a few hundred SAS pilots that are more senior on the new MSL. Likely SAS Ireland will be scrapped in the next two years.

And, the size of SAS Ireland in LHR is regulated from the size of SAS Link in the new agreement. It is limited to 100 FTE, and if SAS Link grows, the size of SAIL will shrink.
The SAIL traffic is now considered as wet lease traffic, which is very strictly agreed between SPG and SAS from 1st of August.

I would think four times before joining them as well. Better apply for Easy or BA.

I have a friend in the UK looking for a A320 job, is it any recruitment planned for the LHR base? If it is 100 FTE I guess at least a few will leave now and then?

Could anyone share some recent developments with SAS Connect especially in CPH base?

What exactly are you looking for? It's a joint seniority list with the rest of SAS now. You start as FO on the A320. Each year there is a bidding window open where you can bid for other positions within the company, captain, mixed fleet short/longhaul, base change, switch to SK or Link. All seniority based. The future of having two AOCs (SK and Connect) operating the same type from the same bases is the million $ question.

Ain't that the first good news in 3 years?

That's a start, thanks!

Even though seniority lists are joined with mainline - in reality, did anyone ever move from Connect to SAS? And how come they both accept applications now? Also, is mainline contract that much better than Connect or is it more about benefits?

What are Connect benefits and how are their rosters like?

I'll think of more questions for sure :D

Can anyone shed some light on the current terms and conditions at the LHR base?
salary for FO, roster, upgrade opportunities, any important info ?

Thanks in advance

Exactly

It's the same CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) at SK and Connect. None has moved from Connect to SK purely because the result of the very first bidding window involving all three airlines has not been published yet. Seniroity is based on date of hire and all Connect crew are less senior than those in SK. Connect expanded while people at SK were laid off in the wake of Covid. Captains at Connect will stay Captains. Meanwhile there are FOs in SK with 20+ years in the RHS. Understandably it's a touchy subject.

As to why both accept applications the real question is; why are there even two airlines?

I don't have the details at the top of my head. In theory; You'll start with a variable roster published the 16th each month. 11-12 days of per month. Part time should be available in accordance with the laws of your home base state. Guaranteed 3 weeks summer holiday together. Christmas or New Year off. Every third year both off. It's 24 step(?) pay scale and it varies slightly between SE, NO, DK. You move up the pay scale once a year. Depending on experience level (and rating) I believe you start between 37000 and 40000 SEK/NOK/DKK per month. Per diem on top of that and some other small bonuses. An OK company pension. Though you may be assigned up to 15 days forced unpaid leave per year which is a real pain!

Something like that...

NOTE: I think London is completely different...

Thank you very much for these insights!

The existance of two different airlines may have something to do with where they are registered and legally the chapter 11 process of SAS shouldn't affect Connect as they are two separate AOCs?

Maybe Connect is the future AOC of SAS with no connection to Scandinavia other than its name?

Or is this a ridicoulous thought?

The whole SAIL/Connect saga is the doing of an old, now gone, Danish COO. And a spiteful Swedish CEO. Fortunately the union was strong enough to put an end to the madness, protect the employees and save our jobs.

Call it SK or Connect, what's ridicuolous is having an Irish Aviation Authority supervise a Scandinavian airline. Run by CAE. The proud legacy of "Scandinavia" is soon gone. Believe it or not, some charter companies demand that their flights are operated by SAS and not some ACMI with pay2fly pilots.

Regards from an SK pilot who's not very positive about what's been going in the last few years 😉