Just adding: physical SIM availability. Instead of the typical 4 + 4 hours for a two crewmember team, we're looking at a minimum of 4 + 4 + 4 + 2, adding OCC re-training session and LVP. That's 175% SIM capacity, once airlines need to re-train en-masse. Creawting a backlog of 4 months while at 6 months the next standard cycle arrives. Whooops.

Line training is a major headache as mentioned. Not only for the limited amount of trainers which can be arranged rather quickly (EASA = even line check just need an appointed "auditor", not TRI/E) but more because of lack of flights. Training 80% of people over 30% of schedule does not have a solution.

This you are talking about is the reason why some airlines (non European for the most part) have kept current and on payroll all their pilots. They want to ensure the livelihood of their colleagues and at the same time betting on being ready 100% when and if things seriously pick up again.
There is no way to hire, train and keep people once and if things seem to pick up.
I for one really hope that companies who are doing this will benefit big time, and take the biggest possible market slice when and if we get to the other side.

Having said all this, if this madness starts again next autumn then..

(and non Far-East Asian almost completely)

Trossie

sorry current isn't the right term, I meant not needing a full rating or much time in the sim.

After all its not likely that over the space of a few weeks we are going to suddenly be back at 100% work rate are we?

obviously the ideal situation is for the airlines to be crewed 100% and ready to go ..... but who's going to pay for that? I will put money (no pun intended, well maybe a bit) that they will expect pilots to take up to 50% pay cuts because they are strapped for cash.

Why not do 1 month full time followed by 2 months off? I know of a 737 airline that does that in order to keep every pilot current. If you are on a pax 747 of A380 obviously this doesn’t work…

This is all a bit academic at least with respect to UK airlines.

The UK government has made it clear that international travel will not be permitted to return in any meaningful sense: the official line is that as long as there's a "threat of variants", a cautious approach will be taken (i.e. forever). In other words, the idea that foreign travel will ever return to 2019 levels is pure fantasy. The days of an annual two week foreign holiday or visiting friends and relatives abroad are gone permanently.

They’ve probably not gone permanently, problem is that the U.K. government doesn’t care if U.K. airlines fly from the U.K. to Europe and back, or European Airlines fly from Europe to the U.K. then back to Europe, and nor will the customers, most of them will book their holidays on line and go for the cheapest option…

Its easy for Cabinet ministers to say to holiday in the U.K, they can afford the £thousands it now costs to book the few remaining decent holidays in Cornwall or wherever. Now far more expensive to go to St Ives than to Benidorm.

Anyone from TUI confirm the rumour that they will be recruiting for summer 2022?

Friend of a friend says that the head of training is saying they need everyone and more for next year

There were some ads for seasonal contracts in Belgium and France with them not long ago. As long as there won't be a new round of restrictions over the autumn and winter, there's every reason to believe that summer 2022 will be a reasonably good one.

TUI in Belgium is a different kettle of fisb. Don't expect similat terms and conditions as with TUI in the UK or Germany, and expect lots of taxi trips.

Still better than jobless.

Stobart Air is gone after failure of the repossession deal which was on the horizon in the past weeks, 480 staff affected. Deeply sorry for everyone involved.

So sad for the Stobart Air crews. Also uncertain future for Carlisle airport.

A close relative is employed by a LoCo that recently just survived going over the edge. He is based in Southern Europe and has been informed that ‘some’ pilots will be recalled, based on seniority. He’s not hopeful as he’s only about halfway up the MSL although a few above him may well vote to accept a pay off that has finally been agreed with SEPLA. The airline are supposedly expanding operations in CPH and HEL so he has bid for those bases, although I suspect preference understandably will be given to locals, although he does hold an EU passport.

He has renewed his medical and license in the SIM last week in the hope that keeping current may be useful when things start moving again, but with the knock back from the latest variants, I suspect seniority will make little difference in the overall scheme of things.

Fly Better

second hand info but pilots were emailed the other day saying that the UK will be recruiting for 2022. 757 pilots are just going to be sat at home when it goes.

I guess more jobs for ex TCX maybe, wasn't one of the mangers ex tcx?

I guess it's good news whoever gets the job.

MrKipling what is your beef with Tui? Did you fail an assessment or something? Since The DFO joined us, he’s been nothing short of a breathe of fresh air especially in these uncertain times.
The only fly in the TCX recruitment ointment was the possible “nepotism” feeling from certain BALPA members.

I sincerely hope Jet2 and Tui both survive this, but your drinking the coolaid is getting pretty tiresome.

Mr Kipling,

There has been no email regarding TUI Airways pilot recruitment for 2022.

It wasn't just balpa members that raised an eyebrow at that company specific intake. I don't know if it was illegal, but it certainly looked it.

Were there any other BALPA member pilots looking for employment with TUI other than ex-TCX? Pardon my question, but as long as a BALPA airline prefers BALPA members to be employed before other "street pilots" i don't see anything wrong with it. Of course if there were any other discrepancies like like not adhering to previous seniority numbers or calling "friends" over others first that's another story. No pun intended. Genuine question here.

EPRman

Unless you and I aren’t on the email list anymore!😱

Biffsticksuperhero

I don't really understand the term drinking the coolaid. I've never failed an assessment there either.

I simply repeated what I was told. If the info was wrong then please accept my apologies, this is after all the rumour network.

Regarding recruitment there in the past I did feel it was somewhat strange that rather than taking direct entry captains on who we already type rated (and there were plenty who would have applied, including from jet2) they took airbus rated pilots saddling themselves with a much bigger training bill rather than passing the rating costs on to their competitors.

So I take it that there is no recruitment planned then for 2022?