With reference to Scroggs' point 6, any new joiners on the A340 will now expect to do all their simulators in Burgess Hill rather than Toulouse. Any conversion training will be 'in-house'.

Thank you Scroggs.

You are a very impressive resource!

MS

just doin a few calcs, what actually (very roughly) are the fo allowances? what do you get in terms of night stop allowances, duty pay etc

was looking on the ppjn for info what is per "diem" is that per flying hour??

would love to spread my wings to virgin!

many thanks

Another question for scroggs.

VS have just announced another daily Hong Kong service, will this require extra aircraft and crews?

TBE.

Without wishing to spoil anyone's day, there where will be no recruitment this year for either 2nd HKG or any "extra" aircraft that are not coming anymore.

A mate at Virgin was v pessimistic - predicted if anything, a decrease in numbers (I assumed of pilots but possibly elsewhere)

GMIMA All the information you require is contained in this thread. All you have to do is read it.

The second Hong Kong service will apparently use aircraft and crews redeployed from other services. It starts operating with the winter schedule in October, and will go daily from December; at that point a couple of summer-only services cease and I suspect that there may be some rationalisation of weaker routes to free up the required A346s. There will be no recruiting needed, sadly!

Sick I would imagine that there is a lot of pessimism around in just about any airline right now, and Virgin is not immune from that. No-one knows how the world's economy is going to pan out over the next year or two, but it's certain that the vast majority of airlines will survive the crisis, albeit a bit bruised. Virgin Atlantic is part of a group with a $20 billion turnover, deep pockets and long-term plans. It also belongs (49%) to arguably the world's most profitable and secure airline - SQ. While things will undoubtedly get tougher, Virgin is better placed to ride the storm than many. We all hope that capacity (and personnel) reductions won't be needed; the redeployment of aircraft to HKG from other routes, as yet unspecified, may be a clue as to how Virgin intend to tackle things.

Two of my mates from EZY have been offered jobs in the last couple of weeks..... both on the Airbus.

Can anyone tell me if there are still a lot of ex RAF guys flying for Virgin?

There are a lot of ex RAF guys flying for lots of airlines....and your point is?

Calm down brit bus driver, it was only a question!
Are you ex RAF?

What is the news on VS getting their hands on A330's to cover the delay in the 787 deliveries? Also, how serious are VS in getting the A380's? I have heard nothing more from VS about this for ages!

Hmmm. Your reply to brit bus driver suggests you're not exactly enamoured of your ex-military peers. In which case, you'd probably not enjoy Virgin as I believe around 30% or so of all VS pilots are such. The proportion has been dropping as the British military has contracted and therefore its output has reduced, and as word about how good a job it is has spread further afield and attracted applications from far and wide.

The mix of backgrounds means that one's company on the flight deck is always interesting and good value.

RAF, Navy , Army, Police Helicopter, Ex Charter, Ex Scheduled, Half of Thomas Cook, BMI and My Travel....... all creeds, colours and races are in VS.

That's the way it should be too. A healthy mix methinks.

And ex Easy, Monarch, Cathay, Singapore, Air Mautitius, Titan, Ryanair, and previously Novair, Air Europe, Dan-Air, Laker..........etc.

Virgin are discussing with Boeing the coverage required for the B787 delays. As Boeing are the world's largest lessor of Airbus aircraft, the A330, 340 and B777 will all be on the cards.

As BA have ordered the same mix of aircraft, and Virgin are unlikely to discover a mine of new slots at LHR, the logic and justification for the A380 still stands. In my opinion, the aircraft will arrive as planned, and some or all of the options will be exercised - probably as the -900 variant.

Breaking news: the ex-Etihad A340-300, expected next March, has now been cancelled. No surprises there! Unfortunately, that means even fewer new jobs over the next six months or so.

So if VS were to get their hands on interim equipment until the B787 arrives (such as A330/B777) how long would it take to train the ground staff, flight deck staff and cabin crew to operate them? Would it be more cost effective to try and get additional B747-400 or A340's instead so that there would not be another new type on the books?

Also, what is the A380-900 variant? Is this the even larger version that SRB mentioned some time back?

Dan Air 87,

It takes about 6 months to get a pilot on the line from the interview. About 3 months for Cabin Crew, and I have no idea about ground crew.

Not sure what interim aircraft will be better, but it's all academic really. There will be NOTHING happening in VS for 2 years until the economic situation improves. At least that is what we are told.

Saw Steve Ridgeway on CNBC business channel and he didn't talk about expansion and recruitment it seemed to be along the lines of survival with respect to high fuel costs and continual worsening of the economic outlook. He did say Virgin had hedged some fuel though over the next year or so. I think we're in for rough times in the UK airline industry.

Off the thread slightly. Pilots that leave Virgin are as rare as rocking horse sh@t. I understand that there has been about half a dozen recently from the 744 fleet. Any reason for this?

TBE

As far as i am aware no one has left recently

There has been a Captain resign from the Airbus in the last 12 months, and a B744 SFO left 2 weeks ago for new pastures.

Other than that, I only know of:

1 B744 retiree a month ago, and sadly two early deaths on the B744 in the last 12 months.

And a senior Captain has just retired from the Airbus last week apparently.

Think it is fairly obvious that there will be cock all recruitment at VS for the foreseeable future!

one other B744 SFO has handed his notice in recently...

B744 fleet is not the best lifestyle fleet at the mo!!!!! morale a little low....

Virgin is pretty well hedged for the next year, less well for the year after. Survival is the name of the game for all airlines over the next part of the cycle. Virgin's strategy will include very tight cost-control and moving capacity from stalling markets to stronger ones. I assume, if it really becomes necessary, Virgin will take capacity out of the market, but no such actions have been mooted as yet despite BA suggesting that they will do so, and Ryanair talking in terms of grounding 20% of their fleet through this winter (though their unhedged position makes them particularly sensitive to spot fuel prices).

Certainly, recruiting is very much on the back boiler. At the moment, there are some 'attrition' appointments ongoing, but it's unlikely there'll be more this year. As has been said, folks don't leave Virgin in any numbers so don't hold your collective breath. Talk of substitute aircraft for the 787 is hypothetical and somewhet irrelevant right now as the first delivery (prior to Boeing's delays) was not scheduled for another 3-4 years. The A380 is also not due for some years. Once we can see our way out of the current downturn the news may change, but the consensus of economic opinion is that this downturn will be deeper than anything of the last 20 years thanks to the combination of tight credit, inflation, and high oil prices, and the subsequent upswing will be some time in coming. Despite Virgin's legendary ability to buck the trend, this one looks like keeping Virgin's recruiting door closed for the next year or so.

Edit: I should make the point, once again, that I am not part of the Virgin recruiting organisation and everything I say is my own opinion, based on my own observations. Don't hold me - or Virgin Atlantic - to any of it!

Virgin Atlantic - Manchester Base
 

Can anyone advise whether they're recruiting F/O's at the moment?

They're not recruiting at the moment.....but who knows what the plan will be tomorrow.

As far as a Man base is concerned, all Flight deck are based at LHR, with some Cabin crew given a Man basing.

The plan tomorrow will be the same as today. No recruitment. I can guarantee you that.

Maybe so but there are Airbus and Boeing courses starting this month (I know people on both) so as the hold pool empties won't that mean future recruitment is more likely?

No, the courses starting this month were really recruits for the extra A343 we had coming in March 2009. 747 courses offered due to SFO's on 747 being offered Command on 340's, hence 747 FO's needed.

That is now not happening. Our General Manager Flying took the honourable step of honouring courses that people had accepted, on the basis that people had left jobs in order to commit to VS.

We are now overcrewed by about 10 people evidently, although the 747 fleet would debate that, with a pretty heavy workload.

Don't hold your breath.

Recruitment in about 18 months I reckon. But it COULD change........but not that likely. Especially if we merge with a.n.other Heathrow carrier.......

...or with another European carrier...

Tchuss