Why would anyone want to go to Swoop?
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Why would anyone want to go to Swoop?
I just wanted to post some frank information about the reality of Swoop Airlines for any young pilots weighing this as a career move. I am clearly against Swoop and what it represents to the aviation profession in Canada so I fully acknowledge that I am writing this from a biased point of view. However, ask ANY pilot at WestJet or Air Canada, and they will likely tell you that the following is accurate:
Career Progression - Swoop is not WetJet. There is not and never will be any form of flow-through agreement from Swoop to WestJet. In fact, between the ALPA hiring ban and the fact that nearly every WJ pilot feels this is an attack on the profession I would say it would most certainly hurt your chances of going to WestJet In the future. Even if you somehow managed to get on with WJ the working environment would be toxic and I most certainly would not want to be an ex-Swoop pilot going into any training/check-ride event with a WJ captain & instructor. Would you really want that looming over your head for your entire career?
Uncertainty - WJ has launched an Unfair Labour Practices complaint against ALPA. ALPA will likely do the same in the coming weeks. Then there is the almost-certain filing of Common Employer status, etc. In other words, this is about to get very messy for a very long time and there is no telling how this is going to play out after the courts/arbitrators/CIRB are done. I'm curious what Swoop is even telling their applicants in the interviews. I'm not entirely sure how they can even hire any pilots without knowing if they are legally allowed to circumvent their Union and hire from outside. Picture this... Today you are hired and are pilot #1 on the Swoop list. Months from now a CIRB ruling comes down in ALPAs favour and WJ must amalgamate the pilot lists. So... You go from Captain #1 to pilot #2500 and are now below the lowest FO on the Dash-8 at Encore.
ALPA hiring ban - For those of you who aren't aware, ALPA has issued an international hiring ban against Swoop as they are arguing that it is WestJet's attempt to circumvent the Union and cut labour costs. What this means is that ALPA is asking airlines & their unions to refuse to hire any pilot that has previously worked for Swoop.
I fully acknowledge that Unions don't hire pilots, companies do so this ban is more symbolic than anything. But... The reality is that breaking this ban is thumbing your nose at ALPA and at pilot solidarity in general - not just in Canada but worldwide. While companies may do the hiring, it is pilots that generally make up the majority of the interview panel as well as the training departments of these airlines. Do you really think this hiring ban is going to be entirely overlooked come interview time? Would you bet your career on it?
So what is your best-case scenario at Swoop?
You get hired, get a fairly quick upgrade, and move on to somewhere else before you top out at Step 3 pay? Well, you better hope you make it through the AC interview first time around because WJ is no longer an option for you. Did I mention that the Air Canada Pilots Association has issued a letter of support in regards to the hiring ban at Swoop?
The reality of WestJet - Even if there was flow-through from Swoop, WJ is not the same as it was a decade ago. 10-15 years ago WJ was the best airline job in Canada - hands down. Today, I would argue it is the worst airline job in terms of career progression, morale, and labour relations. If you were to get hired today at WestJet, you are likely looking at 5 years plus at Encore. Then you get to move to the right seat of the Jet in whichever base happens to be available for you and then move to that base - at your own expense all while taking a pay cut so you can start back at Year 1 FO pay. Then you can rot away in the right seat for about a decade or so before you are offered an upgrade, again, in whichever base happens to be available and you can once again move at your own expense across the country to start again at Year 1 Captain pay. So... in today's environment of global expansion and pilot shortages if you went to WJ - you can expect to put in a whopping 27 years with the company before you ever see the top pay scale as a captain. Depressed yet? A friend on the top WJ captain scale recently showed me a copy of his first pay stub of 2018. After taxes, ESP deductions, etc. it was a whopping $2100. So after putting in a 27 year career you can look forward to pulling in a little over 2 grand per pay cheque. By the way... These numbers are all based on WestJet BEFORE Swoop takes flight. After Swoop you can probably expect Flow, Hiring and Upgrades at WJ to slow to a trickle so you can likely double those expected upgrade times. As far as the $2100 pay cheque ... Good luck ever negotiating any kind of pay raise in the future once you have an airline in house flying the same airplanes for less money. Dont expect wages to improve.
In today's aviation world where we are just on the very cusp of a worldwide pilot shortage why would anyone in their right mind even consider such a career-limiting move? Let's face it - no one's career goal is to fly a jam-packed 737 painted pink for an Ultra-Low-Cost Airline with minimal benefits and for 40% less than the going rate. If you are even considering this as a stepping-stone to land you that next great job I would urge you to walk down the street to Sunwing, Flair, or any other of the multitude of airline jobs offering comparable positions for equal or better pay.
Air Canada is growing rapidly and experiencing unprecedented retirements - hiring hundreds of pilots per year for the forseable future. They have a long track record of hiring pilots without jet experience. Great benefits, new airplanes, pension, best pay in Canada, quick upgrades, and best of all... Years of Service -based pay meaning that when you upgrade after 5 years you will move directly over the Year 5 captain pay unlike WJ where you will start at Step 1 and have to work your way up. This equates to millions of dollars in total career earnings.
Do you really want to work for an airline that has such lack of respect for its employees that it's attempting to circumvent them entirely by subcontracting their jobs out for 40% less. Trust me... You do not.
Career Progression - Swoop is not WetJet. There is not and never will be any form of flow-through agreement from Swoop to WestJet. In fact, between the ALPA hiring ban and the fact that nearly every WJ pilot feels this is an attack on the profession I would say it would most certainly hurt your chances of going to WestJet In the future. Even if you somehow managed to get on with WJ the working environment would be toxic and I most certainly would not want to be an ex-Swoop pilot going into any training/check-ride event with a WJ captain & instructor. Would you really want that looming over your head for your entire career?
Uncertainty - WJ has launched an Unfair Labour Practices complaint against ALPA. ALPA will likely do the same in the coming weeks. Then there is the almost-certain filing of Common Employer status, etc. In other words, this is about to get very messy for a very long time and there is no telling how this is going to play out after the courts/arbitrators/CIRB are done. I'm curious what Swoop is even telling their applicants in the interviews. I'm not entirely sure how they can even hire any pilots without knowing if they are legally allowed to circumvent their Union and hire from outside. Picture this... Today you are hired and are pilot #1 on the Swoop list. Months from now a CIRB ruling comes down in ALPAs favour and WJ must amalgamate the pilot lists. So... You go from Captain #1 to pilot #2500 and are now below the lowest FO on the Dash-8 at Encore.
ALPA hiring ban - For those of you who aren't aware, ALPA has issued an international hiring ban against Swoop as they are arguing that it is WestJet's attempt to circumvent the Union and cut labour costs. What this means is that ALPA is asking airlines & their unions to refuse to hire any pilot that has previously worked for Swoop.
I fully acknowledge that Unions don't hire pilots, companies do so this ban is more symbolic than anything. But... The reality is that breaking this ban is thumbing your nose at ALPA and at pilot solidarity in general - not just in Canada but worldwide. While companies may do the hiring, it is pilots that generally make up the majority of the interview panel as well as the training departments of these airlines. Do you really think this hiring ban is going to be entirely overlooked come interview time? Would you bet your career on it?
So what is your best-case scenario at Swoop?
You get hired, get a fairly quick upgrade, and move on to somewhere else before you top out at Step 3 pay? Well, you better hope you make it through the AC interview first time around because WJ is no longer an option for you. Did I mention that the Air Canada Pilots Association has issued a letter of support in regards to the hiring ban at Swoop?
The reality of WestJet - Even if there was flow-through from Swoop, WJ is not the same as it was a decade ago. 10-15 years ago WJ was the best airline job in Canada - hands down. Today, I would argue it is the worst airline job in terms of career progression, morale, and labour relations. If you were to get hired today at WestJet, you are likely looking at 5 years plus at Encore. Then you get to move to the right seat of the Jet in whichever base happens to be available for you and then move to that base - at your own expense all while taking a pay cut so you can start back at Year 1 FO pay. Then you can rot away in the right seat for about a decade or so before you are offered an upgrade, again, in whichever base happens to be available and you can once again move at your own expense across the country to start again at Year 1 Captain pay. So... in today's environment of global expansion and pilot shortages if you went to WJ - you can expect to put in a whopping 27 years with the company before you ever see the top pay scale as a captain. Depressed yet? A friend on the top WJ captain scale recently showed me a copy of his first pay stub of 2018. After taxes, ESP deductions, etc. it was a whopping $2100. So after putting in a 27 year career you can look forward to pulling in a little over 2 grand per pay cheque. By the way... These numbers are all based on WestJet BEFORE Swoop takes flight. After Swoop you can probably expect Flow, Hiring and Upgrades at WJ to slow to a trickle so you can likely double those expected upgrade times. As far as the $2100 pay cheque ... Good luck ever negotiating any kind of pay raise in the future once you have an airline in house flying the same airplanes for less money. Dont expect wages to improve.
In today's aviation world where we are just on the very cusp of a worldwide pilot shortage why would anyone in their right mind even consider such a career-limiting move? Let's face it - no one's career goal is to fly a jam-packed 737 painted pink for an Ultra-Low-Cost Airline with minimal benefits and for 40% less than the going rate. If you are even considering this as a stepping-stone to land you that next great job I would urge you to walk down the street to Sunwing, Flair, or any other of the multitude of airline jobs offering comparable positions for equal or better pay.
Air Canada is growing rapidly and experiencing unprecedented retirements - hiring hundreds of pilots per year for the forseable future. They have a long track record of hiring pilots without jet experience. Great benefits, new airplanes, pension, best pay in Canada, quick upgrades, and best of all... Years of Service -based pay meaning that when you upgrade after 5 years you will move directly over the Year 5 captain pay unlike WJ where you will start at Step 1 and have to work your way up. This equates to millions of dollars in total career earnings.
Do you really want to work for an airline that has such lack of respect for its employees that it's attempting to circumvent them entirely by subcontracting their jobs out for 40% less. Trust me... You do not.
Re: Why would anyone want to go to Swoop?
I suppose it could be a quick stepping stone for a captain wanting/needing a 737 type rating and/or Jet PIC to go overseas for a job which pays exponentially more....but yes not much incentive. Let’s just hope the ties/epaulettes aren’t pink. 

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Re: Why would anyone want to go to Swoop?
Lets hope they are! Makes it easier to identify the blacklisted guys in the terminal.
Re: Why would anyone want to go to Swoop?
A salary of $300000 USD at an Asian carrier. Factor in that it is tax free and you would have to make around $700000 CAD at a Canadian airline to equal what they are paying. Not only will Swoop give you the experience to get that $700k/year job they will pay you $100k/year to do it.
- JohnnyHotRocks
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Re: Why would anyone want to go to Swoop?
Aviation memories are short in Canada. The blacklist is all BS. You will not have it "hanging over your head for your entire life"
Canadian and Air Canada pilots share the same cockpit, so do Air Canada and Air Ontario. No one blacklisted the Jetsgo pilots who handed over a briefcase full of $30,000 or the Jazz guys who flew 757s for considerably less than Skyservice pilots made.
Don't let the rhetoric scare you.
Canadian and Air Canada pilots share the same cockpit, so do Air Canada and Air Ontario. No one blacklisted the Jetsgo pilots who handed over a briefcase full of $30,000 or the Jazz guys who flew 757s for considerably less than Skyservice pilots made.
Don't let the rhetoric scare you.
Re: Why would anyone want to go to Swoop?
Assuming you have no intention of trying to come back to canada with any of it.. because the tax bill will be huge and hefty if you do.Victory wrote: ↑Mon Jan 22, 2018 3:35 pm A salary of $300000 USD at an Asian carrier. Factor in that it is tax free and you would have to make around $700000 CAD at a Canadian airline to equal what they are paying. Not only will Swoop give you the experience to get that $700k/year job they will pay you $100k/year to do it.
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Re: Why would anyone want to go to Swoop?
So Johnny Hot Rocks ... I guess you didn’t actually read my post at all then.
Re: Why would anyone want to go to Swoop?
It depends if you are in China you should have the tax treaty so it’s all tax free.Rowdy wrote: ↑Mon Jan 22, 2018 4:25 pmAssuming you have no intention of trying to come back to canada with any of it.. because the tax bill will be huge and hefty if you do.Victory wrote: ↑Mon Jan 22, 2018 3:35 pm A salary of $300000 USD at an Asian carrier. Factor in that it is tax free and you would have to make around $700000 CAD at a Canadian airline to equal what they are paying. Not only will Swoop give you the experience to get that $700k/year job they will pay you $100k/year to do it.
Re: Why would anyone want to go to Swoop?
Not exactly how the tax treaty works.. you are simply exempt from anything you've paid in local taxes. You still have to claim in canada and pay CPP and EI premiums as well. Plus MSP (province dependant). The canadian gov. will get their pound of flesh out of you if you plan to come back.fish4life wrote: ↑Mon Jan 22, 2018 4:53 pmIt depends if you are in China you should have the tax treaty so it’s all tax free.Rowdy wrote: ↑Mon Jan 22, 2018 4:25 pmAssuming you have no intention of trying to come back to canada with any of it.. because the tax bill will be huge and hefty if you do.Victory wrote: ↑Mon Jan 22, 2018 3:35 pm A salary of $300000 USD at an Asian carrier. Factor in that it is tax free and you would have to make around $700000 CAD at a Canadian airline to equal what they are paying. Not only will Swoop give you the experience to get that $700k/year job they will pay you $100k/year to do it.
If it was as easy as just pulling in 300k USD straight to your bank account and commuting.. more people would be doing it

Re: Why would anyone want to go to Swoop?
From my understanding those Asian jobs are actually very difficult to get. Between the tough sim evaluation and the day long medical, they have a lot of reasons to cut you. I know a lot of people that have applied and only 2 that I know personally that got hired.Victory wrote: ↑Mon Jan 22, 2018 3:35 pm A salary of $300000 USD at an Asian carrier. Factor in that it is tax free and you would have to make around $700000 CAD at a Canadian airline to equal what they are paying. Not only will Swoop give you the experience to get that $700k/year job they will pay you $100k/year to do it.
If you can't get a decent job in canada, I don't think that you're going to get a decent job overseas after working at Swoop for a couple years.
- JohnnyHotRocks
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Re: Why would anyone want to go to Swoop?
What I took from your post is that by taking a job at Swoop you would be hurting your chances of working at AC or WJ in the future. I am saying that all sorts of rotten shit has happened in this industry and people have short memories. Blacklists don't survive.Oldcommercialpilot wrote: ↑Mon Jan 22, 2018 4:42 pm So Johnny Hot Rocks ... I guess you didn’t actually read my post at all then.
I don't agree with the Swoop deal, but if someone works there they are not jeopardizing their future in this wonderful Canadian Mecca of aviation.
- HansDietrich
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Re: Why would anyone want to go to Swoop?
This is where I stopped reading.Oldcommercialpilot wrote: ↑Mon Jan 22, 2018 12:26 pm...However, ask ANY pilot at WestJet or Air Canada, and they will likely tell you that the following is accurate:
Here's what I have to say to those Air Canada pilots. The day you vote in your contract to have us "Regional guys "move over to Air Canada without an interview, jumping through hoops etc. is the day I'm going to give a f*ck about your moral high-ground!
End rant!
Good evening!
Das ist mir wurst...
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Re: Why would anyone want to go to Swoop?
These are about the only truly accurate statements by Newcommercialpilot - I mean Oldcommercialpilot.Oldcommercialpilot wrote: ↑Mon Jan 22, 2018 12:26 pm ...this is about to get very messy for a very long time and there is no telling how this is going to play out after the courts/arbitrators/CIRB are done.
...WJ is not the same as it was a decade ago. 10-15 years ago WJ was the best airline job in Canada - hands down. Today, I would argue it is the worst airline job in terms of career progression, morale, and labour relations. If you were to get hired today at WestJet, you are likely looking at 5 years plus at Encore. Then you get to move to the right seat of the Jet in whichever base happens to be available for you and then move to that base - at your own expense all while taking a pay cut so you can start back at Year 1 FO pay. Then you can rot away in the right seat for about a decade or so before you are offered an upgrade, again, in whichever base happens to be available and you can once again move at your own expense across the country to start again at Year 1 Captain pay. So... in today's environment of global expansion and pilot shortages if you went to WJ - you can expect to put in a whopping 27 years with the company before you ever see the top pay scale as a captain. Depressed yet? A friend on the top WJ captain scale recently showed me a copy of his first pay stub of 2018. After taxes, ESP deductions, etc. it was a whopping $2100. So after putting in a 27 year career you can look forward to pulling in a little over 2 grand per pay cheque. By the way... These numbers are all based on WestJet BEFORE Swoop takes flight. After Swoop you can probably expect Flow, Hiring and Upgrades at WJ to slow to a trickle so you can likely double those expected upgrade times. As far as the $2100 pay cheque ... Good luck ever negotiating any kind of pay raise in the future once you have an airline in house flying the same airplanes for less money. Dont expect wages to improve.
It's going to get messy and Captain Wing Nut is making a reasoned argument for not coming to WS at all, let alone through Swoop or Encore.
So, Bede, it's difficult why even bother trying? If China is difficult, go to Japan. Hell, look at the "Australia is hiring foreign pilots thread." Apparently Qantas Regional is offering to pay for Visa applications and offering $100,000 MORE than Encore and Jazz are doing.Bede wrote: ↑Mon Jan 22, 2018 5:47 pm From my understanding those Asian jobs are actually very difficult to get. Between the tough sim evaluation and the day long medical, they have a lot of reasons to cut you. I know a lot of people that have applied and only 2 that I know personally that got hired.
If you can't get a decent job in canada, I don't think that you're going to get a decent job overseas after working at Swoop for a couple years.
I have heard that there were close to 100 internal applications from current WS pilots. That means that there were probably 100 individual reasons why to go to Swoop.
Re: Why would anyone want to go to Swoop?
Interesting, I didn't hear of an internal job posting. 100 percent of the WJA pilots I know, know nothing about it.... So where did these "100 internal applications" actually apply?BE20 Driver wrote: ↑Mon Jan 22, 2018 6:31 pm
I have heard that there were close to 100 internal applications from current WS pilots. That means that there were probably 100 individual reasons why to go to Swoop.
Re: Why would anyone want to go to Swoop?
Bang on OldcommercialpilotOldcommercialpilot wrote: ↑Mon Jan 22, 2018 12:26 pm I just wanted to post some frank information about the reality of Swoop Airlines for any young pilots weighing this as a career move. I am clearly against Swoop and what it represents to the aviation profession in Canada so I fully acknowledge that I am writing this from a biased point of view. However, ask ANY pilot at WestJet or Air Canada, and they will likely tell you that the following is accurate:
Career Progression - Swoop is not WetJet. There is not and never will be any form of flow-through agreement from Swoop to WestJet. In fact, between the ALPA hiring ban and the fact that nearly every WJ pilot feels this is an attack on the profession I would say it would most certainly hurt your chances of going to WestJet In the future. Even if you somehow managed to get on with WJ the working environment would be toxic and I most certainly would not want to be an ex-Swoop pilot going into any training/check-ride event with a WJ captain & instructor. Would you really want that looming over your head for your entire career?
Uncertainty - WJ has launched an Unfair Labour Practices complaint against ALPA. ALPA will likely do the same in the coming weeks. Then there is the almost-certain filing of Common Employer status, etc. In other words, this is about to get very messy for a very long time and there is no telling how this is going to play out after the courts/arbitrators/CIRB are done. I'm curious what Swoop is even telling their applicants in the interviews. I'm not entirely sure how they can even hire any pilots without knowing if they are legally allowed to circumvent their Union and hire from outside. Picture this... Today you are hired and are pilot #1 on the Swoop list. Months from now a CIRB ruling comes down in ALPAs favour and WJ must amalgamate the pilot lists. So... You go from Captain #1 to pilot #2500 and are now below the lowest FO on the Dash-8 at Encore.
ALPA hiring ban - For those of you who aren't aware, ALPA has issued an international hiring ban against Swoop as they are arguing that it is WestJet's attempt to circumvent the Union and cut labour costs. What this means is that ALPA is asking airlines & their unions to refuse to hire any pilot that has previously worked for Swoop.
I fully acknowledge that Unions don't hire pilots, companies do so this ban is more symbolic than anything. But... The reality is that breaking this ban is thumbing your nose at ALPA and at pilot solidarity in general - not just in Canada but worldwide. While companies may do the hiring, it is pilots that generally make up the majority of the interview panel as well as the training departments of these airlines. Do you really think this hiring ban is going to be entirely overlooked come interview time? Would you bet your career on it?
So what is your best-case scenario at Swoop?
You get hired, get a fairly quick upgrade, and move on to somewhere else before you top out at Step 3 pay? Well, you better hope you make it through the AC interview first time around because WJ is no longer an option for you. Did I mention that the Air Canada Pilots Association has issued a letter of support in regards to the hiring ban at Swoop?
The reality of WestJet - Even if there was flow-through from Swoop, WJ is not the same as it was a decade ago. 10-15 years ago WJ was the best airline job in Canada - hands down. Today, I would argue it is the worst airline job in terms of career progression, morale, and labour relations. If you were to get hired today at WestJet, you are likely looking at 5 years plus at Encore. Then you get to move to the right seat of the Jet in whichever base happens to be available for you and then move to that base - at your own expense all while taking a pay cut so you can start back at Year 1 FO pay. Then you can rot away in the right seat for about a decade or so before you are offered an upgrade, again, in whichever base happens to be available and you can once again move at your own expense across the country to start again at Year 1 Captain pay. So... in today's environment of global expansion and pilot shortages if you went to WJ - you can expect to put in a whopping 27 years with the company before you ever see the top pay scale as a captain. Depressed yet? A friend on the top WJ captain scale recently showed me a copy of his first pay stub of 2018. After taxes, ESP deductions, etc. it was a whopping $2100. So after putting in a 27 year career you can look forward to pulling in a little over 2 grand per pay cheque. By the way... These numbers are all based on WestJet BEFORE Swoop takes flight. After Swoop you can probably expect Flow, Hiring and Upgrades at WJ to slow to a trickle so you can likely double those expected upgrade times. As far as the $2100 pay cheque ... Good luck ever negotiating any kind of pay raise in the future once you have an airline in house flying the same airplanes for less money. Dont expect wages to improve.
In today's aviation world where we are just on the very cusp of a worldwide pilot shortage why would anyone in their right mind even consider such a career-limiting move? Let's face it - no one's career goal is to fly a jam-packed 737 painted pink for an Ultra-Low-Cost Airline with minimal benefits and for 40% less than the going rate. If you are even considering this as a stepping-stone to land you that next great job I would urge you to walk down the street to Sunwing, Flair, or any other of the multitude of airline jobs offering comparable positions for equal or better pay.
Air Canada is growing rapidly and experiencing unprecedented retirements - hiring hundreds of pilots per year for the forseable future. They have a long track record of hiring pilots without jet experience. Great benefits, new airplanes, pension, best pay in Canada, quick upgrades, and best of all... Years of Service -based pay meaning that when you upgrade after 5 years you will move directly over the Year 5 captain pay unlike WJ where you will start at Step 1 and have to work your way up. This equates to millions of dollars in total career earnings.
Do you really want to work for an airline that has such lack of respect for its employees that it's attempting to circumvent them entirely by subcontracting their jobs out for 40% less. Trust me... You do not.
Re: Why would anyone want to go to Swoop?
What you say may be true at any airline in the world. But I’m guessing it won’t be very Westjetty in a WS tail for any former Swoop crews.JohnnyHotRocks wrote: ↑Mon Jan 22, 2018 4:02 pm Aviation memories are short in Canada. The blacklist is all BS. You will not have it "hanging over your head for your entire life"
Canadian and Air Canada pilots share the same cockpit, so do Air Canada and Air Ontario. No one blacklisted the Jetsgo pilots who handed over a briefcase full of $30,000 or the Jazz guys who flew 757s for considerably less than Skyservice pilots made.
Don't let the rhetoric scare you.
Re: Why would anyone want to go to Swoop?
Who AC hires and the process they use to do it has nothing to do with the Pilots' contract. It's up to the Corporation, not the Pilots.HansDietrich wrote: ↑Mon Jan 22, 2018 5:55 pm Here's what I have to say to those Air Canada pilots. The day you vote in your contract to have us "Regional guys "move over to Air Canada without an interview, jumping through hoops etc. is the day I'm going to give a f*ck about your moral high-ground!
- HansDietrich
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Re: Why would anyone want to go to Swoop?
So ACPA doesn't have anything to do with how Express Pilots get hired at AC? Nothing at all? When Jazz was owned by AC, were Jazz pilots allowed to just bid on an AC aircraft? Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is not the info I'm getting from the old timers at Jazz. Look AC pilots can do what they want. It's their contract, their interests, but don't spew that "morality" about not going to Swoop. It's not like the big red pays 80K a year for a starting F/O... What's the first year wage now? 50K?altiplano wrote: ↑Mon Jan 22, 2018 9:43 pmWho AC hires and the process they use to do it has nothing to do with the Pilots' contract. It's up to the Corporation, not the Pilots.HansDietrich wrote: ↑Mon Jan 22, 2018 5:55 pm Here's what I have to say to those Air Canada pilots. The day you vote in your contract to have us "Regional guys "move over to Air Canada without an interview, jumping through hoops etc. is the day I'm going to give a f*ck about your moral high-ground!
Das ist mir wurst...
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Re: Why would anyone want to go to Swoop?
Anyone who brings up the money to b made in either Asia or the sandbox probably doesn’t know much about either of those places in reality. There’s a reason they pay so much, they HAVE TO in order to get qualified applicants to work there. It’s not exactly a sought after job.
Re: Why would anyone want to go to Swoop?
As much as those "Jazz Old-timers" you speak of wanted to combine the companies and carry their DOH from when they started at Austin Airways on a Beaver and go from a Dash8 Captain to the front of the line at AC and straight on the left seat of a 767, that's not how it works and the courts agreed.
ACPA should protect their members seniority. It's BOTL when you get hired. That's the deal when anyone gets hired here... and AC can hire anyone they want to the BOTL.
Your ideas of morality of going to swoop are distorted also. It's something some of you seem to miss... The problem at swoop isn't the pay, the problem is that Westjet is attempting to marginalise it's pilots and cut them out of their livelihoods. Likely it's posturing, but the people jumping over one another to get a fast track to a 737 are being used as pawns and will be on the losing end of it somehow when we see the dust settle, and the parties reach an agreement... If they don't, we'll see what the courts say.
ACPA should protect their members seniority. It's BOTL when you get hired. That's the deal when anyone gets hired here... and AC can hire anyone they want to the BOTL.
Your ideas of morality of going to swoop are distorted also. It's something some of you seem to miss... The problem at swoop isn't the pay, the problem is that Westjet is attempting to marginalise it's pilots and cut them out of their livelihoods. Likely it's posturing, but the people jumping over one another to get a fast track to a 737 are being used as pawns and will be on the losing end of it somehow when we see the dust settle, and the parties reach an agreement... If they don't, we'll see what the courts say.
- HansDietrich
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Re: Why would anyone want to go to Swoop?
Hey altiplano,
Thanks for clarifying. (No sarcasm meant at all). There surely must be a way for ACPA to make it easier on guys like myself that one day would like to work for AC, something a lot more palpable than the current PML.
The question in the title thread is "Why would anyone go to Swoop?", correct? The answer to that is: "Money and a Boeing 737 Type Rating". Let's look at myself and I can start justifying why I would even go there.
Where I am:
1. Making 40K a year
2. Flying a Dash 8-100 to communities to small town "Canada"
3. Flying 6 legs a day, getting paid for about half of my "work / time away from home"
4. Not really an exciting career. Certainly not what I'm dreaming about and worked my butt off for.
5. Is it good? It's okay. It's mediocre, but even if I'm stuck here for a while, the upgrade is just a year or so away (at max), so money wise, it'll be better.
Where I want to be:
1. Making more money
2. Flying a good aircraft. Let's not kid ourselves here. I became a pilot because I love aviation and airplanes. If I didn't care what I flew or where I flew to, I would've stayed in my previous profession.
3. Going to exciting destinations
Will Swoop answer that? Well, certainly the pay and the aircraft is better than what I make now. Will I want to stay there forever? Probably not, but a B737 Type rating and 500 hrs on type would look really good for an overseas job. See, I have friends that work at EK and EY, even QR. I don't know a single one that doesn't like his life, pay or the aircraft he flies. Their families are doing very well in UAE and most of them have been there for over 10 years. They drive nice cars, have money in the bank account and their layovers are in Sydney, Melbourne, London (UK), New York etc. There is a draw back to that life; you are tired a lot more than you are flying a Dash 8 to Grand Prairie. Oddly enough, I don't see any one of them going back home.
Maybe it's easier for me to uproot myself from Canada. Hell I don't even think I have roots here, yet. I already left my country once. Doing a second move would not be a big deal to me. So, again, to answer your the question asked in the thread title:
"Why would anyone go to Swoop?"
Well, because it's a means to open doors to really well paying jobs overseas.
Thanks for clarifying. (No sarcasm meant at all). There surely must be a way for ACPA to make it easier on guys like myself that one day would like to work for AC, something a lot more palpable than the current PML.
The question in the title thread is "Why would anyone go to Swoop?", correct? The answer to that is: "Money and a Boeing 737 Type Rating". Let's look at myself and I can start justifying why I would even go there.
Where I am:
1. Making 40K a year
2. Flying a Dash 8-100 to communities to small town "Canada"
3. Flying 6 legs a day, getting paid for about half of my "work / time away from home"
4. Not really an exciting career. Certainly not what I'm dreaming about and worked my butt off for.
5. Is it good? It's okay. It's mediocre, but even if I'm stuck here for a while, the upgrade is just a year or so away (at max), so money wise, it'll be better.
Where I want to be:
1. Making more money
2. Flying a good aircraft. Let's not kid ourselves here. I became a pilot because I love aviation and airplanes. If I didn't care what I flew or where I flew to, I would've stayed in my previous profession.
3. Going to exciting destinations
Will Swoop answer that? Well, certainly the pay and the aircraft is better than what I make now. Will I want to stay there forever? Probably not, but a B737 Type rating and 500 hrs on type would look really good for an overseas job. See, I have friends that work at EK and EY, even QR. I don't know a single one that doesn't like his life, pay or the aircraft he flies. Their families are doing very well in UAE and most of them have been there for over 10 years. They drive nice cars, have money in the bank account and their layovers are in Sydney, Melbourne, London (UK), New York etc. There is a draw back to that life; you are tired a lot more than you are flying a Dash 8 to Grand Prairie. Oddly enough, I don't see any one of them going back home.
Maybe it's easier for me to uproot myself from Canada. Hell I don't even think I have roots here, yet. I already left my country once. Doing a second move would not be a big deal to me. So, again, to answer your the question asked in the thread title:
"Why would anyone go to Swoop?"
Well, because it's a means to open doors to really well paying jobs overseas.
Das ist mir wurst...
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Re: Why would anyone want to go to Swoop?
Well, if you’re not from this country then I suppose you may not be familiar with the term Scab.
Anyway, if you do go to Swoop I give you 6 months before you’re complaining about the conditions there as well. See, the conditions at WJ are miserable these days... 5 day pairings made up of 14 hour duty days followed by min rest overnights are the norm. Fatigue is a very real threat and management could care less. Saretsky has already said that he wants the Swoop pilots to be more productive and work more days than WJ. I’m really not sure how that’s even possible. So I guess you can look forward to flying 6 or 7 legs a day while getting up at 3 am on the East coast and putting in a solid 14+ hours and being home 8 days a month. And don’t forget all the snot rags you’ll get to clean out of seat pockets while you’re grooming your own airplane 7 times a day for free.
As far as China or the Middle East is concerned , if that’s your goal then it may be worth suffering through Swoop. Although you may get a little disrespect initially from the Canadian pilots you meet over there, I’m sure they’ll get over it. I too have many friends working overseas, however, none of them are very happy. The money is good, it’s true, but it’s all relative as they are stuck living in a place and raising their families in a place they don’t truly want to be. I suppose the bright side is they will be able to afford to retire a few years earlier than I will but if you spend your whole life being unhappy with where you are and working hard just so you can retire and return to the life you had before you left, I’m not sure your priorities are in order. Anyway, the reason your overseas friends have been over there so long and haven’t returned may be because they truly do love it. Hopefully that’s the case. Or, it may be because of the fact that once you remove yourself from the Canadian Airline industry and become a contract pilot overseas it becomes increasingly difficult to come back to Canada and re-enter the airline world. Not because there are no airlines that will hire you, but because it’s very difficult to leave a high paying job on a 777 for a world-class airline and return home to become an FO on a Dash-8 at the bottom of the seniority list somewhere. As the saying goes ... once a contract pilot, always a contract pilot.
So... if that’s the path you have mapped out for yourself, then that’s fair. Swoop may be the right move for you. Just don’t be surprised if you hate every minute of it there and don’t be surprised when you lose the respect of your peers. Keep your head down, put your time in and head overseas as quickly as you can.
Anyway, if you do go to Swoop I give you 6 months before you’re complaining about the conditions there as well. See, the conditions at WJ are miserable these days... 5 day pairings made up of 14 hour duty days followed by min rest overnights are the norm. Fatigue is a very real threat and management could care less. Saretsky has already said that he wants the Swoop pilots to be more productive and work more days than WJ. I’m really not sure how that’s even possible. So I guess you can look forward to flying 6 or 7 legs a day while getting up at 3 am on the East coast and putting in a solid 14+ hours and being home 8 days a month. And don’t forget all the snot rags you’ll get to clean out of seat pockets while you’re grooming your own airplane 7 times a day for free.
As far as China or the Middle East is concerned , if that’s your goal then it may be worth suffering through Swoop. Although you may get a little disrespect initially from the Canadian pilots you meet over there, I’m sure they’ll get over it. I too have many friends working overseas, however, none of them are very happy. The money is good, it’s true, but it’s all relative as they are stuck living in a place and raising their families in a place they don’t truly want to be. I suppose the bright side is they will be able to afford to retire a few years earlier than I will but if you spend your whole life being unhappy with where you are and working hard just so you can retire and return to the life you had before you left, I’m not sure your priorities are in order. Anyway, the reason your overseas friends have been over there so long and haven’t returned may be because they truly do love it. Hopefully that’s the case. Or, it may be because of the fact that once you remove yourself from the Canadian Airline industry and become a contract pilot overseas it becomes increasingly difficult to come back to Canada and re-enter the airline world. Not because there are no airlines that will hire you, but because it’s very difficult to leave a high paying job on a 777 for a world-class airline and return home to become an FO on a Dash-8 at the bottom of the seniority list somewhere. As the saying goes ... once a contract pilot, always a contract pilot.
So... if that’s the path you have mapped out for yourself, then that’s fair. Swoop may be the right move for you. Just don’t be surprised if you hate every minute of it there and don’t be surprised when you lose the respect of your peers. Keep your head down, put your time in and head overseas as quickly as you can.
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Re: Why would anyone want to go to Swoop?
For a quick upgrade on a 70+ Tonne Jet.Re: Why would anyone want to go to Swoop?
Not saying it's right or wrong, but that's the simple answer to a simple question.
Re: Why would anyone want to go to Swoop?
No problem...
Like what? Whatever you might believe, ACPA doesn't hold the strings and has no say...
AC is offering express guys guaranteed interviews and preferential treatment in the hiring process from what I understand. What more do you expect?
.There surely must be a way for ACPA to make it easier on guys like myself that one day would like to work for AC, something a lot more palpable than the current PML
Like what? Whatever you might believe, ACPA doesn't hold the strings and has no say...
AC is offering express guys guaranteed interviews and preferential treatment in the hiring process from what I understand. What more do you expect?
Re: Why would anyone want to go to Swoop?
Sorry Altiplano, I think you’re feeding the troll! I have a hard time believing that Hans is not trolling but if he is for real, he can’t leave Jazz fast enough for me. I believe the only thing that would make Hans happy is a DEC on the 777, without going through the interview process, after all he is a Dash 8 FO flying the flag, you know.altiplano wrote: ↑Tue Jan 23, 2018 10:15 am No problem...
.There surely must be a way for ACPA to make it easier on guys like myself that one day would like to work for AC, something a lot more palpable than the current PML
Like what? Whatever you might believe, ACPA doesn't hold the strings and has no say...
AC is offering express guys guaranteed interviews and preferential treatment in the hiring process from what I understand. What more do you expect?
As a PML 1.0 pilot, I have never even remotely thought I should’ve been handed anything other than what I signed up for, a few things changed after the fact and I rolled with it ie; psych eval. Anyhow PML 2.0 is not what was expected and even though no promises were made, it’s not good enough for the “me” generation.
As for Swoop, this is a close to scabbing as you can get without being on strike, there is language that says this flying is WJ/Encore Pilots only and only them, yet WJ management is moving forward with it at lightning speed, only reason for that is it’s hard to get that horse back in the barn once it’s out and they know it
Quick question, you say ACPA has no say, it is two ACPA pilots and an HR person for the interview, if the pilots have no say(input) why bother participating in the process. They must have some say.