Air Canada Interviews

[hnl]

Looking for input..I was called for the April 16 GS. I am really considering changing my mind. I have a pretty good job at the moment, and relative security, I can see from the posts on here that people are having second thoughts. Has anyone else said no, or changed there mind.

AC pilots please give some words of wisdom here as there are alot of young lads in great turmoil as to whether to leave their present employment to accept possibly 4 yrs of locked in dismal pay/likely no pension and potential layoffs not long after becoming operational. They for the majority have worked long and hard to get this offer and now its pretty confusing reading all these negative posts.
The guys need your input so they can make a decision soon to either come aboard the company they have worked so hard to get to or plan a new direction. The old timers were thrilled to get the call yrs ago hitting the big league but in 2012 its not the same feeling and thats sad. So please speak up and give your honest opinion. We all realize some of the chosen have quite good jobs now and some not quite so good which maybe makes it a little easier for the latter to say yes. Thanks and best of luck to all the present and future AC pilots. Blue skys...

I would say without hesitation yes go for it. It has been a wonderful career . We have been through similar things before but are still here for 75 years. Contract negotiations are always like this. There will be necessary change and I welcome that. This is a fabulous company last year winning more service awards than any other on the planet. It is the best place in the country to be if you want to be an airline pilot. Every change is a chance and I understand your concern. The only way you know if you made the right choice is to go ahead 40 years and look back.

[muskokaboy]

Looking for input..I was called for the April 16 GS. I am really considering changing my mind. I have a pretty good job at the moment, and relative security, I can see from the posts on here that people are having second thoughts. Has anyone else said no, or changed there mind.

AC pilots please give some words of wisdom here as there are alot of young lads in great turmoil as to whether to leave their present employment to accept possibly 4 yrs of locked in dismal pay/likely no pension and potential layoffs not long after becoming operational. They for the majority have worked long and hard to get this offer and now its pretty confusing reading all these negative posts.
The guys need your input so they can make a decision soon to either come aboard the company they have worked so hard to get to or plan a new direction. The old timers were thrilled to get the call yrs ago hitting the big league but in 2012 its not the same feeling and thats sad. So please speak up and give your honest opinion. We all realize some of the chosen have quite good jobs now and some not quite so good which maybe makes it a little easier for the latter to say yes. Thanks and best of luck to all the present and future AC pilots. Blue skys...

I would say without hesitation yes go for it. It has been a wonderful career . We have been through similar things before but are still here for 75 years. Contract negotiations are always like this. There will be necessary change and I welcome that. This is a fabulous company last year winning more service awards than any other on the planet. It is the best place in the country to be if you want to be an airline pilot. Every change is a chance and I understand your concern. The only way you know if you made the right choice is to go ahead 40 years and look back.

Hnl Thanks for your positive input and you are spot on by saying go ahead 40yrs then look back. I hope others like you will step up and provide some positive encouragement during this period of turbulence caused by forces outside of the aircrews group pilots/flt attendants and mechanics. Best of luck

[yycflyguy]

I have been at Air Canada for 5 years, and have just updated my resume. I really doubt that I will still be here by the end of summer.

I wonder if Dave Legge still comes in the PIT course to tell you that you have reached the NHL of flying?

All the very best to you in your new company.You will be among the very few that has actually left. I would suggest you talk to them and also to those that have returned after they left...This is a difficult time no doubt but as in the 75 years AC has been around it will pass. The industry changes and we must change as well...It's just reality...I'll never forget the day Eastern airlines signed a contract where one group passed the $100,000 barrier.The members were celebrating as to how they had won... Very soon thereafter Eastern Airlines was no more..

Ok, reality check time.

hnl.

I totally disagree. The next generation of pilot will NEVER enjoy what your generation had. Not blaming, just stating the obvious.

This was once a great airline with great compensation and great work conditions. I am glad you had a successful and long career. Comparing AC to Eastern Airlines? Our pilot CASM is only 4%. I hope you are not suggesting that our pay is to blame.

I have spent the past week updating my resume, updating logbooks, contacting friends at other airlines, researching contracts and permanent overseas positions and international taxation. If one of the three positions I have targeted works out, I am outta here. The pilots I have spoken to around the globe all have better WAWCON than AC.

How many pilots does AC expect to hire in the near future?

20 a month for the foreseeable future... pending impending massive contractual changes where productivity gains could result in surplus pilots.

It is EXTREMELY likely that there will be no DB pension plan for new hires. Forced DC without an increase in pay to save for your own retirement. Good luck with that on $37k first year and flat pay for your first 4.

[THIN_CRUST7]

the only benefit i see to joining AC now is the ability to have a neat looking facebook picture, and to be able to have the general public, (family, girlfriend...etc) think you are in a fancy job making the big bucks
pilots rely too much on "how much do you make"
its not how much money you make its how much you save, when you have a salary of $150,000/yr you pay roughly 45% of that in income tax
but i guess 37,000 per year isnt that bad for 4 years becauase the uniform and the hat look kinda cool eh?

[HighT5]

but i guess 37,000 per year isnt that bad for 4 years becauase the uniform and the hat look kinda cool eh?

You nailed it. The industry is very much ego driven. That pay is nothing to brag about, nor be proud of. But the pictures people get to post on Facebook are somehow. I'm more jealous of the guys flying PC12s for 80 grand a year with great skeds.

[THIN_CRUST7]

and after 6 years at AC on the EMJ you make roughly $69,000, after 6 years
6 years
thats a long time, 6 years doesnt just come and go
the uniform is cool so its all good i guess

[yulcommuter]

Looking forward to changing my Facebook picture, wearing the red lanyard, and looking good in a Air Canada hat!!

[ram]

and after 6 years at AC on the EMJ you make roughly $69,000, after 6 years
6 years
thats a long time, 6 years doesnt just come and go

I won't get into the debate...however the above quote isn't entirely accurate...the last couple of bids had about 30 undib 320 f/o spots. This may not be the case in the future but today the choice to stay on the EMJ is yours...The 320 will gross you about 90k in year 3 and about 100k in year 5.

Everybody on the EMJ today is there because they want to be...lifestyle over money; nothing wrong with that!

[Far]

A friend of mine did the interview and he was PFO, they told him while he's interviewing that he had not enough MPIC turbine. I'm wondering why he's been called for interview, if they know he had not enough time.

[Lateralus]

A friend of mine did the interview and he was PFO, they told him while he's interviewing that he had not enough MPIC turbine. I'm wondering why he's been called for interview, if they know he had not enough time.

Interesting...cause I know a few people who have zero MPIC time and got hired, for example one of the Jazz "college kids" who probably didn't have more than 100 hours PIC time total. I know of a few guys also who only had command time on a PC-12.

You're right though, why call the guy and fol him in the interview he is not qualified.

[MeAndMrPenguin]

Give it a go.

Leave on good terms.

You should have made enough connections to go back if need be.

You can always go back...but if you turn it down, you may regret it.

[sepia]

and after 6 years at AC on the EMJ you make roughly $69,000, after 6 years
6 years
thats a long time, 6 years doesnt just come and go
the uniform is cool so its all good i guess

Year 4 on the EMJ I did 82k (per diems included). Someone with 6 years on the EMJ **COULD** hold the left seat of the EMJ. In which case they would have made over $100k in year six, plus they'd get the fancier hat.

I'm not saying the pay is top of the industry, just trying to counter with some factual information.

[TAT]

Hmmm the word draft comes to mind...

[ogopogo]

Novice question: what's a Per Diem, what does it consist of, how do you get it, what is it based on?

[Sea2Sky]

Ogo, a per diem means "daily", and refers to daily compensation for certain expenses you incur while away from home base. Meal allowance constitutes a bulk of what you get, but it can also include other thing like tips (for drivers). The amount you get at AC depends on a number of factors. For example, geography. Operating in different countries require different amounts of compensation. For example, a full day in Canada is about $68, $78 in the States and over $230 in Australia. Another factor is time of the day. If you are flying over a designated meal time, the airline may provide you a meal in lieu of cash.

PS - per diems are non-taxable

[oldone0303]

Hey guys,

Anyone who is willing to take the job at AC has got to know that there is no more "stable airline job until you retire". That used to be there back in the day, but not now. It is full of people at the top of the company who just want their cash and to go home.

I did my interview there last year, and got the pfo. I never thought in a million years that I would consider a pfo from Air Canada to be a blessing in disguise. I also thought that if I had received a pfo, that I would apply again the second I could to give AC another shot, this is not the case today. I will not apply again.

Stability is with a company where you have management looking over the entire operation wanting to make every aspect of it better. Taking the money they earned one year, and putting it back into the company, looking years down the road. You need to have a leader who is genuine, and who wants to better everybody... not just himself. It seems like this is never the case with Air Canada, and all the employees should take the hit on the chin. Cuts are everywhere, from even worse new hire flat pay, outsourcing, now barely hanging on to a pension which I highly doubt will be there in 40 years when I would need it and just pure greed.

This is to the pilots accepting jobs with Air Canada, make sure you take a good look around you, and unfortunately - keep your resume updated.

Sincerely,

oldone0303

[Flybabe]

Received interview offer about a week ago. Turned it down. Not willing to take the pay cut at this point in my life.

I'll leave the lower pay to you younguns that don't have mortgages.

[rotorjay]

Hey guys,

Anyone who is willing to take the job at AC has got to know that there is no more "stable airline job until you retire". That used to be there back in the day, but not now. It is full of people at the top of the company who just want their cash and to go home.

I did my interview there last year, and got the pfo. I never thought in a million years that I would consider a pfo from Air Canada to be a blessing in disguise. I also thought that if I had received a pfo, that I would apply again the second I could to give AC another shot, this is not the case today. I will not apply again.

Stability is with a company where you have management looking over the entire operation wanting to make every aspect of it better. Taking the money they earned one year, and putting it back into the company, looking years down the road. You need to have a leader who is genuine, and who wants to better everybody... not just himself. It seems like this is never the case with Air Canada, and all the employees should take the hit on the chin. Cuts are everywhere, from even worse new hire flat pay, outsourcing, now barely hanging on to a pension which I highly doubt will be there in 40 years when I would need it and just pure greed.

This is to the pilots accepting jobs with Air Canada, make sure you take a good look around you, and unfortunately - keep your resume updated.

Sincerely,

oldone0303

Anybody given a PFO doesn't have
a lot of "CRED" to be making comments on this web site to guys that didn't get a PFO!!!

[oldone0303]

Hello Mr.rotorjay,

You see, I don't really care that I was pfo'd by Air Canada. If I DID care, I wouldn't have posted that I was pfo'd in the first place for the possibility of being "ashamed" that I didn't get the job.

The thought of you saying I don't have enough "CRED" doesn't stop that fact that management eats employees for breakfast, and also is looking at the next two meals for the day with regards to outsourcing and possible job losses for new hires.

Fact: CR will enjoy his $5 million dollar bonus on March 31st, 2012. Enjoy.

oldone0303

[Inverted2]

I don't know why anyone in their right mind would want to go there right now anyway. I applied a while back and got called but I PFO'd them There is no pattern to who gets hired anyway. I know some great pilots who got on, I also know a couple of major screwups who had a disciplinary file that would fill a whole drawer of a filing cabinet from my previous employer. As far as flying experience, I know of people with less than 100 hrs of multi PIC who got hired on, as well as guys with 9000 hrs who got turned down. It's all who you know. I think AC is going to implode this spring. Just turn on the news.......

[Inverted2]

A friend of mine did the interview and he was PFO, they told him while he's interviewing that he had not enough MPIC turbine. I'm wondering why he's been called for interview, if they know he had not enough time.

Interesting...cause I know a few people who have zero MPIC time and got hired, for example one of the Jazz "college kids" who probably didn't have more than 100 hours PIC time total. I know of a few guys also who only had command time on a PC-12.

You're right though, why call the guy and fol him in the interview he is not qualified.

Also I understand they don't tell you why you got turned down. Maybe the blonde girl with 2000TT who did her interview after you was prettier?

[dream_big]

Interesting...cause I know a few people who have zero MPIC time and got hired, for example one of the Jazz "college kids" who probably didn't have more than 100 hours PIC time total. I know of a few guys also who only had command time on a PC-12.

You're right though, why call the guy and fol him in the interview he is not qualified.

daddy is very high up at AC. I think that may have helped her get hired.

[flying4dollars]

Why is there such a big pay difference between the Embraer and A320?

[zee]

I want to reapply after 6 months now what is the best way to get call again for Interview.should I send email directly to the HR Or re-apply on web side only.
Thanks

[hnl]

Interesting...cause I know a few people who have zero MPIC time and got hired, for example one of the Jazz "college kids" who probably didn't have more than 100 hours PIC time total. I know of a few guys also who only had command time on a PC-12.

You're right though, why call the guy and fol him in the interview he is not qualified.

daddy is very high up at AC. I think that may have helped her get hired.

Re "daddy is very high up at AC" .... So what? Being a Webster trophy finalist, top in class and Jazz CRJ F/O should count for something. I would have her on my crew anytime....

The reason some were called for an interview was that they filled in the wrong qualification boxes and it was found in the extensive logbook check they do. They did not have the qualifications they claimed.