People leave quite simply because their aspirations change. While TCX are a great company, the pull of a new life in the middle east will attract a number, other operators may offer better command prospects, or a better lifestyle (permenant longhaul/ closer to home). You would expect there to only be a few that will look for pastures new but the mere fact that majors are recruiting seems to make other operators react.

With regards to commuting, my personal belief is that for the 5 months (June-Oct) it will be very difficult. You often have only a few days off in a row, and these can often be impinged on by a night flight prior to. I personally found at Manchester in the summer there was a good number of random leave days, which were available at fairly late notice, and offered a welcome break of 1-3 days.

Hope that helps!

ID90's with a charter airline are not worth the paper they are written on. From memory, the flights are mostly full.

It closed nearly 2 weeks ago dude!

Anyone else got the reply for interview on 17th on the Boeing?

Anyone know what to expect in the interviews? Anyone attend the interview last year for the 6 month contract who would like to enlighten us?

PM me if preferred.

Can we assume you are rated Tarzan?

Anyone non-rated get an invite?

I have been looking and never seen an application form. Is it still available?

Jinkster,
unfortunately for you, not any more
for approx 2 weeks as Superpilot said above
cheers

You not happy at your current place Jinkster????? :ok:

londoncalling2009, are you invited to the interview ?
Were you called by TCX?

good luck all the above.

Re.: STAFF TRAVEL at TCX. One word C##P. Getting C##PIER by the day and for new joiners, its particularly C##P!!!

Everything else is either good or average, so come on down an' join us.:ugh:

interview 17th
 

has anyone else got an interview for the 17th?

i am typed on the 757 with over 1500 hours on type just for info.

Thomas Cook is an excellent choice. However, since this is a rumor site I have heard that TC would like to send pilots to other TC companys during the winter season. Apparently approx. 100 pilots surplus. Never mind, go for it, but do not expect a permanent employment for a while.

Waiting for a Voluntary Severance Package approval from the Board, this will determine recruitment numbers.

Expect no Non-Type rated recruitment and no 'large' recruitment...becareful leaving full time/secure employment to join the bottom of a seniority list at a charter airline, based on this winter, I would expect summer only to continue.

It’s obvious what there doing....basically seeing if they have suitably qualified guys that will be willing to take a summer only contract. I think they will be asking at interview if you will be willing to take this. If they have enough qualified guys that say yes then they will offer summer only, if not then they will offer permanent. Good company though :-)

If TCX were 'approx 100 Pilots' over subscribed they wouldn't waste the time or cost interviewing Pilots for 'potential positions,' as it is unlikely they will get close to that figure with a voluntary scheme. The e-mail that went out to those invited to interview said the company are 'slightly' over crewed for the summer and this was for a pool of suitable candidates. It also said they are not sure about what they can offer, permenant/part time, which I believe as Honiley says it all depends on interest in the voluntary severance.

There is little fat in the system with other group Airlines during the winter, apart from the Scandanavian part as they do more long haul during that period. They will probably look for contracts to utilise Pilots in the winter, like the skyservice one. But these always attract great numbers on a voluntary basis

It's worth also considering that this year is the first for many that Virgin and BA have hired. No doubt some senior F/O and younger captains may take a step-back to take 2 forward (as they may perceive it). Consequently there may be more natural wastage than your standard year.

To see an airline do this in January is refreshing, rather than "all hands to the pumps" in mid May.

Just out of interest, has anyone not heard anything or have had a negative response? I'm rated 73 and not heard back if it helps, thanks:ok:

Not heard back, 757 4500 on type, 9500 total

EVS due to be signed off by the board this week for upto 50 guys. If Questor in the Telegraph is correct, TCX plans to downsize capacity and fleet by 25% over the next few years.

3 330-200s are due to be returned to the lessors at the end of this summer for starters. The aim of the EVS appears to be to fill the airline up with cheap Captains and less expensive F/Os with a longer upgrade time to the LHS as a consequence.

If I was coming to the market at the moment as a fairly low-houred F/O, I would get my hours at Easy or Ryanair and go to the sand pit tax free for a few years (Emirates, Etihad and Fly Dubai all presently recruiting) and come back when the UK market improves.

Do you think their current recruitment will include any low hour non TR guys?

I very much doubt it but will enquire for you. The non-type rated guys they have taken in the past came through cadet schemes such as CTC. Recruitment plans will depend upon the EVS take-up and the finalising from Tour Ops of this summers programme.

Barclaysslave...
 

From the 'Horses Mouth' - No non-type rated recruitment!

OK thankyou both for the info :ok:

Questor didn't say TCX, it said Thomas Cook, which is much bigger that just the UK operation: it also said aircraft, not capacity. It is highly likely that the journo was being given a pre-results-release briefing (probably in a noisy bar) and misunderstood aspiration for plan. The idea, which has been around for a long time, is to establish for winter level operations and charter in for summer capacity. They have never made it work in the past (apart from Airworld who returned the leased aircraft at the end of the season).

I hope you're right Beardy but the absence of a definitive statement now for some days on the subject from the DFO on the company website hardly raises the spirit does it ?

3 330s are going next year at present and the current order of 321s does not cover the number of 757s due to be returned to lessors does it ?

The EVS bids are now open. Seems like not a bad deal (18 months salary providing you have at least 24 months before retirement - equates to over £150,000 for a senior captain). Might be enough to tempt quite a few of the high earners.

Just got the no from Thomas Cook:{ didnt even make past the application screening stage.

Nightmale. Where did you get the info about the EVS? I see that the bid is open but I've not seen anything official about the terms.

Thanks.

Edited to add TCG Press Release:

25 January 2011
Thomas Cook Group plc
Narrow Body Fleet Renewal
In line with the announcement on 1 December 2010, Thomas Cook Group Plc announces that it
has today signed a binding contract with Airbus. The agreement is for 12 new Airbus 321
aircraft scheduled to be delivered from 2014, together with options to purchase further A320
family aircraft from 2015.
The new aircraft will be powered by CFM56-5B engines produced by CFM International, a joint
venture by Snecma (Safran group) and GE.
The Group will remain a heavy user of operating leases and it is anticipated that the directly
purchased aircraft will be financed through sale and leaseback agreements with third party
lessors.
Enquiries:

Thomas Cook Group plc
Investor Relations +44 (0) 20 7557 6414 / +44 (0) 7974 160013

Finsbury +44 (0) 20 7251 3801

Looks like the PFO emails are being dished out.

Hope you all get better luck than me.

EK.

Also just got the PFO email. Not the end of the world, was expecting it really. Good luck to those chaps who make it through.

Me too, saw it coming though :ouch: - yeah best of luck to all ! We'll get there yet !!

PFO for me too, wonder if it would have been better applying using the B757 application as I'm on the 737NG right now. I used the A320 application - wonder if that made a difference.

OH well

Just got my PFO through, low hours, non-TR and can't say I'm surprised, but still always that little tinge of disappointment.

Best of luck to everyone.

It seems a little stange that they sre sending out the 'PFO's' so soon as they are only just starting sim checks and sending the EVS bid out. How do they know the quality of 'sim-checkers' and the amount of people who will take severancy??

There is a line in the email saying they will retain details on file, so perhaps call people back in if they don't meet the required numbers?

Doubt it will low-hours chaps, but there's always that little irrational bit of hope.

Everyone has their own opinion on whats going on however, I believe that they were mainly looking for chaps rated on the bus. I say this as a few skippers have moved accross to the Boeing and I know a few other skippers on the bus who would see EVS as a great opportunity to bugger off. I have also heard that there are a couple of bus bases which are short of a skipper or two such as BFS. As said before on Prune, they are just replacing older expensive chaps with younger cheaper guys. When it comes to 'sim checkers' I think the company can assume that most of the chaps who have got through to the sim stage will meet the standard required which I would imagine is 500hrs on A320 and possibly a couple of guys on the 75.

Best of luck:ok:

EVS
 

Hi all,

Was this EVS available to FOs as well?

londonmet,

No, just captains!

Just had the PFO email too. I filled out both the Airbus and Boeing applications, but the email is for the bus only at the moment. Oh well.

Perhaps, you still have a chance with the Boeing application then.