YYZ initial base bid

[BIGPAPI]

Was told on the phone, during GS you pull your seniority number and then get to bid on your base.
What are the odds of getting YYZ base? I suppose it is pretty common and likely to get?

Why not just get told before you get hired. If I have to commute I won’t be able to work there.

[twa22]

Was told on the phone, during GS you pull your seniority number and then get to bid on your base.
What are the odds of getting YYZ base? I suppose it is pretty common and likely to get?

Why not just get told before you get hired. If I have to commute I won’t be able to work there.

Because that's how it's always been.... I had to commute until I got my base of choice... every airline is like that

[truedude]

Was told on the phone, during GS you pull your seniority number and then get to bid on your base.
What are the odds of getting YYZ base? I suppose it is pretty common and likely to get?

Why not just get told before you get hired. If I have to commute I won’t be able to work there.

Because that's how it's always been.... I had to commute until I got my base of choice... every airline is like that

This is not an answer that will serve Jazz well moving forward. One way or another, if we are to ever solve our hiring issues, we need to drag management into the 21st century.

[digits_]

Was told on the phone, during GS you pull your seniority number and then get to bid on your base.
What are the odds of getting YYZ base? I suppose it is pretty common and likely to get?

Why not just get told before you get hired. If I have to commute I won’t be able to work there.

I agree it's a ridiculous setup but nobody is going to change that for you. Alternatively you could try and get vacation set up at your current job and not quit until you know where you'll be working. If it doesn't work for you, quit at Jazz. They likely won't like that though, probably blowing up a bridge there at least for a few years.

[digits_]

Was told on the phone, during GS you pull your seniority number and then get to bid on your base.
What are the odds of getting YYZ base? I suppose it is pretty common and likely to get?

Why not just get told before you get hired. If I have to commute I won’t be able to work there.

Because that's how it's always been.... I had to commute until I got my base of choice... every airline is like that

Some google fu seems to suggest there are some airlines that hire for specific bases. That can still respect the seniority based system. Just let candidates know upon hiring instead of on their first day. A bit of a minimum of respect, no? Especially if the job doesn't seem to be super desirable.

[Inverted2]

If they still get applicants willing to play “mystery base” on day 1 of groundschool then it will continue status quo. Most new hires are still young low experience candidates who tend to not be tied down with mortgages and families which is also the problem since Jazz needs experience for the left seat which as of now the pay and schedules isn’t attracting.

[twa22]

If they still get applicants willing to play “mystery base” on day 1 of groundschool then it will continue status quo. Most new hires are still young low experience candidates who tend to not be tied down with mortgages and families which is also the problem since Jazz needs experience for the left seat which as of now the pay and schedules isn’t attracting.

To answer digits and truedude, this is the answer... I agree there shouldn't be a mystery base solution from the start but it won't change if there are enough applicants willing to accept this

[Outlaw58]

Sounds bad on paper, but in reality, it has not affected anyone significantly since the post-pandemic hiring boom.

Regardless of what base you are assigned, your first 2-3 months are spent in YYZ for initial training where you are put up and offered POS travel to and from domicile. After that, you have 1 month of line indoc where you have a block and can easily commute IF you still haven't gotten your base by then.

I am not defending the current system, I agree there should be a better way of doing business. But if it's such an issue that one can't handle for a little while, for it does speak a bit to the kind of mindset that person has and not really someone I'd like to have as a crew member.

If the current system weeds out pilots with these less desirable traits, it might not be so bad after all.

My 2 cents,

58

[NSFly]

Was told on the phone, during GS you pull your seniority number and then get to bid on your base.
What are the odds of getting YYZ base? I suppose it is pretty common and likely to get?

Why not just get told before you get hired. If I have to commute I won’t be able to work there.

To actually answer your question about YYZ base. Both the CRJ and Embraer are both quite imbalanced between captains and FOs right now (far more captains). For reasons unknown to me they have not been filling those roles with the past few classes. Unless something is up, I’d say that will become a focus in the near future. Toronto is a pretty easy base to get into, but it is also a bit more senior than YUL or YVR on the CRJ. Possibly the Embraer as well.

[digits_]

But if it's such an issue that one can't handle for a little while, for it does speak a bit to the kind of mindset that person has and not really someone I'd like to have as a crew member.

If the current system weeds out pilots with these less desirable traits, it might not be so bad after all.

And what mindset or less desirable traits might that be?

[twa22]

Sounds bad on paper, but in reality, it has not affected anyone significantly since the post-pandemic hiring boom.

Regardless of what base you are assigned, your first 2-3 months are spent in YYZ for initial training where you are put up and offered POS travel to and from domicile. After that, you have 1 month of line indoc where you have a block and can easily commute IF you still haven't gotten your base by then.

I am not defending the current system, I agree there should be a better way of doing business. But if it's such an issue that one can't handle for a little while, for it does speak a bit to the kind of mindset that person has and not really someone I'd like to have as a crew member.

If the current system weeds out pilots with these less desirable traits, it might not be so bad after all.

My 2 cents,

58

Please don't give people the wrong impression or idea. The same was said to me by multiple people when I got hired, and it took me almost a year to get my preferred base on the equipment I was on, and it was the same story for alot of my colleagues hired around the same time. Lots of us had to get crash pads in cities we didn't want for longer then expected. The problem isn't getting stuck at an undesired base for a year. The problem is being told that "oh you'll get your base of choice quickly". It's misleading, I'm no longer at jazz so not sure what the story is now regarding base transfers, but my advice is, go in with the worst case scenerio mentality, you get stuck on reserve at an undesired base, and you may need to sit there in a crash pad. At least this way, you won't get angry if it does happen as you've mentally prepared yourself for it

[cdnavater]

Sounds bad on paper, but in reality, it has not affected anyone significantly since the post-pandemic hiring boom.

Regardless of what base you are assigned, your first 2-3 months are spent in YYZ for initial training where you are put up and offered POS travel to and from domicile. After that, you have 1 month of line indoc where you have a block and can easily commute IF you still haven't gotten your base by then.

I am not defending the current system, I agree there should be a better way of doing business. But if it's such an issue that one can't handle for a little while, for it does speak a bit to the kind of mindset that person has and not really someone I'd like to have as a crew member.

If the current system weeds out pilots with these less desirable traits, it might not be so bad after all.

My 2 cents,

58

Please don't give people the wrong impression or idea. The same was said to me by multiple people when I got hired, and it took me almost a year to get my preferred base on the equipment I was on, and it was the same story for alot of my colleagues hired around the same time. Lots of us had to get crash pads in cities we didn't want for longer then expected. The problem isn't getting stuck at an undesired base for a year. The problem is being told that "oh you'll get your base of choice quickly". It's misleading, I'm no longer at jazz so not sure what the story is now regarding base transfers, but my advice is, go in with the worst case scenerio mentality, you get stuck on reserve at an undesired base, and you may need to sit there in a crash pad. At least this way, you won't get angry if it does happen as you've mentally prepared yourself for it

I would agree with that, it was typically happening before the end of initial training for a long time but keep in mind we were in a constant state of turn over, losing more pilots than we were hiring. Things have slowed down, no bid in January and the next bid is uncertain, possibly downgrades if this fuel crisis continues.
Commuting is not for everyone and certainly sucks if on reserve, if you are prepared to burn a couple bridges by quitting one job and then quitting Jazz if you don’t get your base, then obviously you’re informed but Jazz is not changing how they do things for one pilot, if everyone says the same thing maybe but this is not the case right now.
I know they tried something at one point, had a list of pilots willing to wait for desired base but in a seniority system, in order to have a class of all YYZ positions, all current Jazz pilots would have to not a have a standing bid for that base.

[goldeneagle]

If the current system weeds out pilots with these less desirable traits, it might not be so bad after all.

My 2 cents,

58

Would you consider somebody with roots in a city, family, home and a stable environment 'a less desirable trait', ie somebody stable that doesn't feel it's worth uprooting a family to who knows where, for who knows how long, just to chase a job flying a very old airplane for a wage that barely covers rent in whatever place you get sent ?

[Outlaw58]

Look,

I stand by my statement, understanding full well how it may rub a few persons the wrong way. I meant no disrespect.

This sentiment was expressed looking back on a 40+ year long flying career which includes 31 years of military flying. Hardship at the beginning of one's flying career is something that may happen. Hopefully not, but it does get progressively better over time. Having to commute is definitely not the worst thing I had to endure.

My point was that if that is not palatable to you, then don't apply. You and your would be employer are going to be happier for it.

That is all I am going to say about this subject.

58

[rudder]

Was told on the phone, during GS you pull your seniority number and then get to bid on your base.
What are the odds of getting YYZ base? I suppose it is pretty common and likely to get?

Why not just get told before you get hired. If I have to commute I won’t be able to work there.

Because that's how it's always been.... I had to commute until I got my base of choice... every airline is like that

Not really. But definitely commonplace.

If someone MUST be YYZ based, then either apply to a carrier that only has a YYZ base or apply to an airline that hires specifically for a base.

Sounds like Porter might be a good fit for the original poster (notwithstanding previous base specific hiring and subsequent base closures). I don’t think that Porter will be closing YYZ/YTZ.

[twa22]

Was told on the phone, during GS you pull your seniority number and then get to bid on your base.
What are the odds of getting YYZ base? I suppose it is pretty common and likely to get?

Why not just get told before you get hired. If I have to commute I won’t be able to work there.

Because that's how it's always been.... I had to commute until I got my base of choice... every airline is like that

Not really. But definitely commonplace.

If someone MUST be YYZ based, then either apply to a carrier that only has a YYZ base or apply to an airline that hires specifically for a base.

Sounds like Porter might be a good fit for the original poster (notwithstanding previous base specific hiring and subsequent base closures). I don’t think that Porter will be closing YYZ/YTZ.

I agree, however, we need to remember Jazz (and Encore and Porter Q400), have become the stepping stone airlines for sub 1000 hour pilots (or at least they were in 2022 and 2023), so at that point, you don't really get to chose... you want a 705 airline with x low hours, you take what you get, even if you don't like. I didn't like it, but I ended up at a great 705 airline,where guys took years to get as little as 10 years ago. I got some amazing experience and loved working there, it's just the pay that suffered, especially for the bases Jazz has, otherwise i'd still be at Jazz. It's a bit of a catch 22 in many regards, but it is what it is.