Carpatair: Current situation
 

Hi Everybody.

I would like to know what's the overall situation in Carpatair

Are they hiring?
How is the roster for pilots?
Do pilots fly in a regular basis in both fleets? (F100 and Saab 2000)
How do you see the future for Carpatair?

Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

I'm just back from Timisoara.

I would understand that there is a 'trickle' of recruitment for type rated applicants. Definitely worth a punt.

are you rated F100 or Saab2000?

are you looking for a captain or F/O position?

I'm F100 rated, but just with 500 hours, 1200 TT.

I'd like to know if they are flying on a regular basis in the F100 fleet and all the possible information about them.

have a look on www.pilotjobsnetwork.com or with Google Wikipedia just put "Carpatair" you'll find lots of informations

Thank you bisonic, but I already did that.

I'm looking for first hand info, from people working there or knowing the real situation of Carpatair.

Holding short, situation is improving a little bit I think. I do know we need F100 captains, don't know about FOs. Send an application and see what comes out.
They don't have any particular strategy, so if they didn't need pilots yesterday, and need them today, they will hire them. It is good for you if they have you in sight. Also, 2 or 3 months ago we got a contract with F100 flying in Libiya, 4-6 legs almost every day. Because of that they had to wet lease another F100 from Trade Air from Croatia to fly from TSR.

Try with the application, you have nothing to lose. Also have no idea whatsoever about pay check for F100 guys. Especially on freelance contract.
Fokker is doing more contracts outside RO than the Saab, so I think it's an unstable roster (although it applies for the entire company).
Also accomodation around Romania is usually crap, and it is possbile that when you fly you'll have maximum duty time for that day.

Hope this helps a bit.

buduci,I sent my CV one week ago but I'm still waiting an answer, so I'm rated F100 captain with almost 3000h as Captain on this type and I worked during 6 years in Libya for this company, could it help me to find a job?

Maybe. I know they hired 2 F100 captains in the previous 2 months. One of them is in Lybia at the moment, and the other one told us they will send him there.

Guys stay there for a 3, 4, 5 weeks then they are off I think.

Carpatair
 

Hey all, this is my first ever post on PPRUNE, I have worked for KRP for two years, it's my third company as F100 FO, I was hoping to get my upgrade there but unfortunately "the Crisis" and all that goes with it meant all the ex pat crew contracts on the F100 were terminated.

it was one of the best companies I had worked for, 3 on an 1 off, including transport to and from the wet lease base of operation.
then things deteriorated as a result of cost savings within the operation.

Unfortunately all has changed and I have been unemployed 7 months now with no light at the end of the tunnel, I do however keep in touch with all my ex-colleagues at Carpatair but no luck yet.

I would not hold out much luck but you never know, lets hope 2010 is better for all..

Hi buduci,

check your PM, thank's

Carpatair: Yesterday and Tommorow...
 

Hello gentlemen,

I have been employed by this "lovely" company for almost 5 years.
It has been sweet at the beginning, but things went a little bit downhill in the overhaul impression.
Since last winter there has been a lot of changes. A lot of cost control in all the wrong places. They laid of a lot of freelancers cause there was no need for them at that time. A short while after they were desperate in getting new ones. They got a few of them back at half pay almost. Now as a freelance CPT you are looking at around 3000-3500 EUR tops. At the moment FO are not so much in demand as Dave mentioned.
But Carpatair is looking in getting 3 new Fokker 70 so maybe in the near future.....
As for the upgrade, forget it. Even us as locals, we have been asked for 20G to pay for our selves.
They are trying to impose a new policy: everybody pays for their Type Rating or Upgrade Course. Almost all of the old FO have bailed out.
Usually for freelancers the roster is 3 weeks on and 1 off. There is one aircraft in Libya, flying for Petro Air, and it would be, at least for now, the preferred base for them. Out of my own experience, Libya is a place to stay away from.
And if you are in Timisoara, the home base of the company, regular 7 hours of standby at the airport are waiting for you guys, and i can tell you that is not very amusing about it. They cut costs in accommodation also so expect days off in company apartments on the outstations, or the company's motel at the Carpatair Flying School located next to Timisoara Airport.

If anybody need more info, I'll be more that happy to provide.

PS: Freelance pilots are requested to deposit a security fund of 5000 EUR in the company's account.

Hello,
Why freelance pilot are requested to deposit 5000€ to the bank account's company?

why do you have to wait 7 hours at Timisoara's airport, I supose there aren't any accomodation to do that rest period !

3500€ is it gross or net salary, I mean free of tax.

as a freelance with a 3 ON, 1 OFF roster do they pay the airline ticket to/from your home residence?

any idea about the roster when you are in Libya?

For bisonic:

- 5000EUR deposit because, as far as I know, there is a 30 day pre notice if you resign or terminate the contract ahead of term. they keep the cash if you dont.
- airport standby: Carpatair Flight Training centre has a small motel of 5 rooms and a cafeteria. as CPT have priority..... There is a 10 min drive to the City, and we use to get hotel for the standby, but cost control .......
- all freelancers are paid with an Gibraltar Off shore company called Conquest Marketing tax free. around 3000-3500 EUR max.
- the 3 on and 1 off is anywhere. Either you are flying the scheduled runs or wetlease ops. even Libya. and trust me 3 weeks there its like never-ending...

Hi Blue Sky,

In fact I would like to know if the contract with Carpatair is a commuting contract, I mean when you finished your 3 weeks period on duty, does the company pay the airline travel ticket to/from your home residence for your 1 week period vacation?

is it a bank account in Gibraltar or just this office pay you on your own bank account?

thank's

- They pay for the positioning flight to/from home. The catch is that they dead head you on a day of when your coming to work, and when you finish if you accept, after your flight duty ends they send you home, otherwise you wait for your first day off. Also sometimes they call you from your days off... they pay the standard rate per day, nothing extra for this. But it depends how you guys can negotiate your contract. If you decide that in your week of you would like to go somewhere else in Europe, i think that arrangements can be made to get a ticket somewhere else. Same for into Timisoara if you are somewhere else. Most of the dead heading are thru MUC, FCO where you can get on the company's flights, but thats not always the case.

- They help you make a bank account in a Romanian bank (local branch of ING NL) ( we all use the same bank ). They deposit EURs into your account. You also get a VISA international debit card. The catch is that if you go home and use the card the commission is going to be heavy. And to take cash out of ATMs you cannot get euros. ING has a lot of self banks and ATMs, but in every big city you only have one office were you can get euros in cash out. Another solution is to transfer cash into an account of you preference. The cost of this I think is around 5%(by memory).(worst case scenario cant be more that 10% to xfer cash internationally).

Man stay away seriously dont even think about it. Try a little harder and maybe you will get a job somewheres else. The situation is getting worse and worse. First of all the salary is 3500 GROSS/TAX FREE. That is if you don't want to pay tax you get 3500. If you want to pay tax in your country then its 3500 GROSS then out of that pay your tax man. Yes this is a commuting contract so payed travel as said before. Accommodation is the shi&ts at some operational bases, i.e. Libya, and all of the destinations in Ukraine. As captain you are heavily frowned upon if you write too many work-orders as in you want to do bad for the company and AOG the aircraft. Anyways like I said stay away you are far better off...Oh yeah you do have to put the 5000 deposit and if you leave before your contract is up , ie. if your contract was for 6 months and you jet at 3 you lose 5000..and the latest talk is now no more 5000 but you pay for your sim sessions when you join the company and do the company conversion...

YHZ,

when you talk about accomodations ie. in Libya it's depend of your base: Tripoli there are few hotels wich were no so bad 2 years ago, ie Bab el barh hotel I used to stay there , of course it's not Corinthia hotel, I can understand if you stay for a night stop in the desert, it's different but it's just for a night stop.
I know this job in Libya because I did it for 6 years, obviously you 'r in Africa not in Europe but I think for an experienced captain it's not a big deal.
about Carpatair what do you mean by " you have to pay the sim session and do the course convertion"
doing a course conversion when enter a new company is a normal way as far as I know, I mean under the JAA policy.
for the sim sessions, is it for your annual recurrent, usualy company pay for that, or is it for something else, could you explain?