Originally Posted by lekker92 (Post 11484727)

No, it's relocation.
Hard to get a leave during highseason

Originally Posted by twentyfivehundred220 (Post 11503096)

... own base stations in Tampere, Tallinn and Vilnius. Many of our pilots choose to commute directly to these stations from their homes across Europe. I was just flying as a safety pilot for a new SFO's first line training flights - a very experienced captain from Finland, he said he will not even consider renting in Riga - he will commute to outstations. So it’s really up to you to pick your lifestyle and roster

Originally Posted by chris1311 (Post 11498887)

I see. Mind sharing your subjective view on my questions?

Originally Posted by twentyfivehundred220 (Post 11503096)

I've been flying at airBaltic for more than a year and I really enjoy a lot of parts of it, so here's a bit of an extended version of my experience:

In the realm of crew planning, BT has a diverse range of destinations, from nearby cities to far-flung gems like Dubai and the Canary Islands. It's like picking from a buffet every month when bidding for flight, but of course - you will not fly all of your favourite flights every day. The rule is to satisfy 60-70% of each pilots wishes, and for me works out pretty well. The more contentious thing our wet lease-out operations in Oslo, Düsseldorf, Zurich, and our very own base stations in Tampere, Tallinn and Vilnius. Many of our pilots choose to commute directly to these stations from their homes across Europe. I was just flying as a safety pilot for a new SFO's first line training flights - a very experienced captain from Finland, he said he will not even consider renting in Riga - he will commute to outstations. So it’s really up to you to pick your lifestyle and roster

Treatment colleagues, general mood:
Regardless of anything, those who are dissatisfied tend to be more vocal, while those who genuinely enjoy their experiences often prefer the tranquility of cruising at FL360, while sipping their coffee :) Which is a good thing, I guess, hence the reason this forum might lean toward negative opinions as a result. However, when it comes to life at our airline, BT, I'd like to emphasize that for me it's, in fact, quite pleasant. Communication here is transparent and flows both vertically and horizontally. The Chief Pilot's office is always open, encouraging an open dialogue. Adhering to standardised procedures, training, and simulator sessions is like a must in the company, so basically all are treated equally, and to be honest, for me this consistency makes it very transparent and comprehensible. In the mean time you ahve to know your stuff, be prepared, study, etc. Then again, any form of rude or aggressive behavior, whether directed towards cabin crew, operations, or colleagues is totally rejected. In my experience, I've seen cases where a few pilots were exceptionally rude or disrespectful, and the airline responded (in my opinion) appropriately. We have a lot of young captains who’ve been at airBaltic for several years, so the mood in the cockpit is the mood you choose to set :)

The CP upgrade is not just a claim, if you apply as an SFO you will have a chance to upgrade soon. Just do the math yourself - BT will have 50 aircraft soon, that means roughly around 250 captains, now we maybe have around 190 (+/- 10), AND they are working summer schedules of 80-90BH already. The other thing is - the Chief pilots have been very open about not wanting “Direct entry” Captains on the A220. So going through the SFO option basically is the fast track.

Apologies for the lengthy essay, but I wanted to provide a more balanced perspective amidst the prevailing negative sentiments, because I really like airBaltic from a lot pf perspective, and I think a lot of colleagues would agree.

Ad good luck with your assessment!

Originally Posted by TheEdge (Post 11500920)

Stay away from any Baltic scam company...

Originally Posted by motardos (Post 11503106)

Is the basic salary for Captain 4600 or 6800 euros?
As for the captain upgrade, is it true that first officers with five years in the company are not promoted to captains yet?

Originally Posted by patituri (Post 11503426)

You quoted me and @twentyfivehundred220. FYI is a troll, his other accounts are @WaylanderShade and @OKSUP
Every time he gets busted he creates a new account but he keeps writing long quotes with stupid smilies

Originally Posted by motardos (Post 11498037)

I checked that the basic salary for FO is 2815 euros
Can someone who lives in Riga say how much are the basic expenses like rent, gas, bills and grocery?
Thank you in advance

Originally Posted by menekse (Post 11505907)

Add to this that they hire clowns like @WaylanderShade , @OKSUP , @2991, @twentyfivehundred220 (it's the same person) who don't meet the entry requirements. He/she confirmed it in my thread.
As result they have four runway excursions, one AOG after hard landing in Schiphol and the most serious when almost crashed in Brussels

Incident: Baltic BCS3 at Brussels on Apr 19th 2023, started final descent too early

An Air Baltic Bombardier C-Series CS-300 on behalf of Swiss International Airlines, registration YL-ABM performing flight LX-780 from Zurich (Switzerland) to Brussels (Belgium), was cleared for a VOR Approach to runway 07L when the crew initiated the final descent before the final approach fix. Descending through about 800 feet MSL about 6.5nm before the runway threshold the crew noticed the error and initiated a missed approach, climbed back to 4000 feet MSL, positioned for another approach to runway 07L and landed without further incident about 12 minutes later.

Belgium's Air Accident Investigation Unit have opened an investigation into the occurrence adding that the occurrence happened in VMC.

Originally Posted by patituri (Post 11506709)

I don't think that Swiss will extend the ACMI deal

Originally Posted by stoneangel (Post 10500573)

hey Guys,
Currently on jet (corporate) , I try to figure out the pros and cons.
My main concern is that the A220 is not a TR so common and need to get a new TR if I want to move onto the A320 for example.
What about the bond ? 3 years ? for 36000 euros, is it correct ? (it is what I heard).
For me the positive points is the possibility to build hours quicker.
The cons : moving to Riga with a little family...

feel to share more informations and some points I may have missed.

Thanks a lot!

Originally Posted by Capt Flinstone (Post 10473232)

Stay far away from this bs company !!!!! Worst in the industry !!!!

Originally Posted by lollopisa96 (Post 11507827)

Hi guys,

Any feedback about the online assessment?

is it tripod or not?
if not are there two different physics and math exam?

are the calculation difficult and quite long since it's not allowed to use the calculator?

What's the content of the syllabus for math and physics?


Thanks in advance for your support!

Ciao guys

Originally Posted by lollopisa96 (Post 11507827)

Hi guys,

Any feedback about the online assessment?

is it tripod or not?
if not are there two different physics and math exam?

are the calculation difficult and quite long since it's not allowed to use the calculator?

What's the content of the syllabus for math and physics?


Thanks in advance for your support!

Ciao guys

Originally Posted by motardos (Post 11503106)

Is the basic salary for Captain 4600 or 6800 euros?
As for the captain upgrade, is it true that first officers with five years in the company are not promoted to captains yet?

Originally Posted by WhatShortage (Post 11363127)

McDonald's is a full legal contract and gets more or less the same. I haven't seen any illegalities on Avion Heston etc contracts, you pay your taxes wherever you want. It seems that you got catch and now you don't want to recognise the !!!!!hole you got in. A220 type rating bonded getting 2k at Latvia and.. A PENSION, insane package also, I want the coke without ice please and a big mac.

Originally Posted by patituri (Post 11512149)

At least on Avion or Heston is commuting roster and you don't need to pay rent or bills. With airbaltic you spend most of the salary on the basics. Pilots in uniform under a jacket take the bus from the airport. No chance to put money aside. No way to pay the bond if you find something better.
Everything is expensive here, Latvians are boycotting R*mi supermarket cause off the prices

Originally Posted by uberfly (Post 11512530)

Yes and Avion, Heston pilots stay in the tent during their free days which is usually 8 to 10 days per 20-21 days (not to mention unpaid leaves during winter) or they don’t have families that are in need of accommodation in their home country. Unless your are young single guy who is staying at parents or friend for free what you say is not valid for those pilots.

Originally Posted by patituri (Post 11512149)

Pilots in uniform under a jacket take the bus from the airport.

Originally Posted by 45989 (Post 11500959)

Trustworthy?
I am not an insider but can't be a coincidence that in this forum there are negative feedbacks for every single airline in the Baltics, Heston, Getjet, Airbaltic, Smartlynx, Avion Express