Sunwing Airlines Bringing Foreign Pilots This Winter

[safetyfirst123]

Unfortunately it seems as though our fears about Sunwing bringing in Temporary Foreign Pilots this winter are coming true. Smartwings in Europe is posting availability this winter for crews to fly Canadian registered aircraft at Sunwing. Currently there are six Sunwing airplanes operating in Europe on behalf of TUI, so it would be reasonable to accept an equivalent amount of wet-leases this winter to help out Sunwing on a reciprocal basis. With a planned fleet of 40+ aircraft this winter, Sunwing is able to wet-lease 20% of its fleet with foreign aircraft, for a total of 8 wet-leases. Unfortunately the foreign pilots being planned from Smartwings are well above and beyond the planned 7 or 8 wet-leases, and way outside any reciprocal agreement.

Sunwing needs to hire approximately 150 pilots to crew for the winter season. This doesn't take into account the fact that many at Sunwing are leaving for Air Canada, Flair, and other opportunities. Significantly, the recent upgrade process at Sunwing for 20 spots magically went all the way to the bottom of the seniority list, whereby well over 30 qualified applicants were bypassed for generic reasons. Clearly Sunwing did this in order to show the government that there is a pilot shortage and they need foreign pilots. Thankfully many of those bypassed were offered Direct Entry Captain positions at Flair. Well played Flair!

Sunwing is having difficulty attracting qualified pilots, and it's easy to see why. There is no pilot shortage, but rather a pay shortage at companies like Sunwing. The new contract forced down the pilot's throats during COVID is concessionary and well below acceptable levels for such a successful company operating for over 15 years. This is evident by the number of resignations recently, and the high number no-shows to interviews. Sunwing is now interviewing very low time candidates in order to fill the seats.

Below is the information for Smartwings pilots being offered Temporary Foreign Pilot positions at Sunwing this winter. I hope those defending Sunwing just because it offers nice flying with fun layovers and great people will understand that this is simply unacceptable.



W2022/23 Sunwing Airlines Pilot Secondment Contract Information and Bidding

Dear colleagues,

It has been a while since we have been able to participate in the cooperation between Smartwings and Sunwing Airlines, but the wait is finally over, and I am pleased that I can pass on some initial information about the upcoming Sunwing Airlines pilot secondment contract. Firstly, I would like to state that this secondment contract is still being finalized and the estimates and Bases are subject to change, that aside, I believe that what will be stated here is also realistic.

Let's begin with the bases, currently the bases that are offered for Smartwings crews are:

YEG - Edmonton
YXE - Saskatoon
YQR- Regina

Regarding the numbers of crews at various Bases, we currently do not have the precise figures as each meeting introduces new and updated numbers, currently there is a slightly higher ratio of F/O's over the number of Captains requested by Sunwing. We have also been informed that namely YXE and YQR will consist mostly of our Smartwings Crews. Regarding bidding in the upcoming questionnaire, you will be asked to fill in your preferred deployment Base form #1 through #3, so all 3 Bases are to be filled in. The questionnaire will also include a field to enter other crew members whom you would like to Based with, as we do realize that many of you will be sharing accommodation costs. Although we will also do our best to accommodate your requests to be Based with other colleagues, that may not always be possible due to seniority and the number of available positions at each Base.

Now some information about training and deployment, as well as duration. Training is currently expected to commence early October and will continue throughout November as crews are progressively trained and deployed to their Bases. Training will consist of 5 days of Ground School (a mix of e-learning and classroom), followed by 4 Simulator sessions, these will mainly (and hopefully entirely) be based in PRG. Training will also consist of a "Line in-doc" as well as a "Line Check'; these will be flown either at a Sunwing hub and/or at your respective Bases. Line operations are expected to commence in November. Deployment is expected to last till mid to late April, and a few crews may be required until early May. The maximum duration will again be 6 months due to Canadian legislation. Sunwing has provided the initial minimum hours that must be attained by crews by the commencement of the deployment (yet to be confirmed), and are as follows:

CPT - 3000h Total & 500h on type
F/0 - 1000h Total & 500h on type
ICAO English Level 4

Please note, that at the moment, there is no minimum PIC hours for Captains, and F/O's require just 500h on a B737 and the rest on any type for a total of 1000h.

Please also note that the Sunwing pilot secondment contract is available only to those on a standard working contract, in other words those with a B2B and OSVC contract cannot be accepted. Those on a reduced (50%, 75°/o) part-time contract, wishing to participate in the Sunwing pilot secondment contract, will be required to raise their contracts to 100%

And now for the most important information ... $alary. The salary is divided into a "fixed" amount, which will be converted to your local currency and the amount is "before taxes" and a "cash" I amount, which includes per-diems, accommodation, transportation, and all other petty expenses. The "cash" amount will (most probably) be paid out in advance either in cash or will be transferred to your account. Here are the amounts, that have been approved by the board of directors for Captains and First Officers:

Captains and First Officers:

FIX: $9500USD per month
CASH: $5000UDS per month

First Officer
FIX: $5500USD per month
CASH: $5000USD per month

In addition to the above mentioned there will also be an incentive for flying from GDO's (Guaranteed Days Off), It amounts to $800USD for Captains and $400USD for First Officers per canceled GOO.

The questionnaire to bid for the Sunwing 2022/23 pilot secondment contract will be posted on Monday the 4th of July, and a link will be sent to everyone by email. This will be an initial Questionnaire regarding employee information and Base preference. Once the Bases are confirmed, and a timeline is set, we will post another questionnaire with available slots according to your assigned Base, as well as other required information.

Finally, some other information that has been confirmed or that is still being finalized. As in the past, Sunwing seniority will reflect the number of times a crew member has been on a previous Sunwing secondment deployment, and this will be combined with the Smartwings seniority system. Please keep in mind that our Smartwings crews' seniority will always be lower than the seniority of Sunwing crews. What is confirmed is quote: "Pilots would follow the Sunwing credit system. They would bid for flights in our system and follow Canadian FTL's''. With the introduction of MylDTravel you will now have the possibility to use staff tickets for yourselves or your families during the entire contract. As in previous years, it has been confirmed that you will be able to bid for up to 11 GDO's per month.

We hope that the news of the "Sunwing Pilot Secondment Contract" is welcome news to many of you, as it has been a long wait in very uncertain times. We also hope that we will be able to confirm as many of you as possible, preferably at your preferred base, although this will be very challenging.

Thank you for reading this far and on behalf of the Flight Operations Division we thank you for your time. If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

[digits_]

Looking at those amounts, would foreign crew make *more* than local Canadian crews while working in Canada?

[safetyfirst123]

Looking at those amounts, would foreign crew make *more* than local Canadian crews while working in Canada?

Those amounts are more than the vast majority of Sunwing crew, yes. Also interestingly is that the captain requirements are much lower than internally at Sunwing. Go figure!

[Aspiredtofly]

What's the point of doing this? Why can't they hire pilots from here and pay them as stated for foreign pilots. What a weird country this is

[fruz]

Looking at those amounts, would foreign crew make *more* than local Canadian crews while working in Canada?

Those amounts are more than the vast majority of Sunwing crew, yes. Also interestingly is that the captain requirements are much lower than internally at Sunwing. Go figure!

Yes, very interesting indeed!! Our recently bypassed first officers, who were provided little or no reason why for their failure to be selected, applied for internal upgrades which have higher requirements than those posted in that letter. Now why would Sunwing make it difficult for their own to obtain an upgrade?

[fruz]

What's the point of doing this? Why can't they hire pilots from here and pay them as stated for foreign pilots. What a weird country this is

All this company has to do is look no further than south of the border and follow suit. They could attract plenty of applicants and retain their own if they did so.

[cdnavater]

SCUMWING is back!

Unfortunately it seems as though our fears about Sunwing bringing in Temporary Foreign Pilots this winter are coming true. Smartwings in Europe is posting availability this winter for crews to fly Canadian registered aircraft at Sunwing. Currently there are six Sunwing airplanes operating in Europe on behalf of TUI, so it would be reasonable to accept an equivalent amount of wet-leases this winter to help out Sunwing on a reciprocal basis. With a planned fleet of 40+ aircraft this winter, Sunwing is able to wet-lease 20% of its fleet with foreign aircraft, for a total of 8 wet-leases. Unfortunately the foreign pilots being planned from Smartwings are well above and beyond the planned 7 or 8 wet-leases, and way outside any reciprocal agreement.

Sunwing needs to hire approximately 150 pilots to crew for the winter season. This doesn't take into account the fact that many at Sunwing are leaving for Air Canada, Flair, and other opportunities. Significantly, the recent upgrade process at Sunwing for 20 spots magically went all the way to the bottom of the seniority list, whereby well over 30 qualified applicants were bypassed for generic reasons. Clearly Sunwing did this in order to show the government that there is a pilot shortage and they need foreign pilots. Thankfully many of those bypassed were offered Direct Entry Captain positions at Flair. Well played Flair!

Sunwing is having difficulty attracting qualified pilots, and it's easy to see why. There is no pilot shortage, but rather a pay shortage at companies like Sunwing. The new contract forced down the pilot's throats during COVID is concessionary and well below acceptable levels for such a successful company operating for over 15 years. This is evident by the number of resignations recently, and the high number no-shows to interviews. Sunwing is now interviewing very low time candidates in order to fill the seats.

Below is the information for Smartwings pilots being offered Temporary Foreign Pilot positions at Sunwing this winter. I hope those defending Sunwing just because it offers nice flying with fun layovers and great people will understand that this is simply unacceptable.



W2022/23 Sunwing Airlines Pilot Secondment Contract Information and Bidding

Dear colleagues,

It has been a while since we have been able to participate in the cooperation between Smartwings and Sunwing Airlines, but the wait is finally over, and I am pleased that I can pass on some initial information about the upcoming Sunwing Airlines pilot secondment contract. Firstly, I would like to state that this secondment contract is still being finalized and the estimates and Bases are subject to change, that aside, I believe that what will be stated here is also realistic.

Let's begin with the bases, currently the bases that are offered for Smartwings crews are:

YEG - Edmonton
YXE - Saskatoon
YQR- Regina

Regarding the numbers of crews at various Bases, we currently do not have the precise figures as each meeting introduces new and updated numbers, currently there is a slightly higher ratio of F/O's over the number of Captains requested by Sunwing. We have also been informed that namely YXE and YQR will consist mostly of our Smartwings Crews. Regarding bidding in the upcoming questionnaire, you will be asked to fill in your preferred deployment Base form #1 through #3, so all 3 Bases are to be filled in. The questionnaire will also include a field to enter other crew members whom you would like to Based with, as we do realize that many of you will be sharing accommodation costs. Although we will also do our best to accommodate your requests to be Based with other colleagues, that may not always be possible due to seniority and the number of available positions at each Base.

Now some information about training and deployment, as well as duration. Training is currently expected to commence early October and will continue throughout November as crews are progressively trained and deployed to their Bases. Training will consist of 5 days of Ground School (a mix of e-learning and classroom), followed by 4 Simulator sessions, these will mainly (and hopefully entirely) be based in PRG. Training will also consist of a "Line in-doc" as well as a "Line Check'; these will be flown either at a Sunwing hub and/or at your respective Bases. Line operations are expected to commence in November. Deployment is expected to last till mid to late April, and a few crews may be required until early May. The maximum duration will again be 6 months due to Canadian legislation. Sunwing has provided the initial minimum hours that must be attained by crews by the commencement of the deployment (yet to be confirmed), and are as follows:

CPT - 3000h Total & 500h on type
F/0 - 1000h Total & 500h on type
ICAO English Level 4

Please note, that at the moment, there is no minimum PIC hours for Captains, and F/O's require just 500h on a B737 and the rest on any type for a total of 1000h.

Please also note that the Sunwing pilot secondment contract is available only to those on a standard working contract, in other words those with a B2B and OSVC contract cannot be accepted. Those on a reduced (50%, 75°/o) part-time contract, wishing to participate in the Sunwing pilot secondment contract, will be required to raise their contracts to 100%

And now for the most important information ... $alary. The salary is divided into a "fixed" amount, which will be converted to your local currency and the amount is "before taxes" and a "cash" I amount, which includes per-diems, accommodation, transportation, and all other petty expenses. The "cash" amount will (most probably) be paid out in advance either in cash or will be transferred to your account. Here are the amounts, that have been approved by the board of directors for Captains and First Officers:

Captains and First Officers:

FIX: $9500USD per month
CASH: $5000UDS per month

First Officer
FIX: $5500USD per month
CASH: $5000USD per month

In addition to the above mentioned there will also be an incentive for flying from GDO's (Guaranteed Days Off), It amounts to $800USD for Captains and $400USD for First Officers per canceled GOO.

The questionnaire to bid for the Sunwing 2022/23 pilot secondment contract will be posted on Monday the 4th of July, and a link will be sent to everyone by email. This will be an initial Questionnaire regarding employee information and Base preference. Once the Bases are confirmed, and a timeline is set, we will post another questionnaire with available slots according to your assigned Base, as well as other required information.

Finally, some other information that has been confirmed or that is still being finalized. As in the past, Sunwing seniority will reflect the number of times a crew member has been on a previous Sunwing secondment deployment, and this will be combined with the Smartwings seniority system. Please keep in mind that our Smartwings crews' seniority will always be lower than the seniority of Sunwing crews. What is confirmed is quote: "Pilots would follow the Sunwing credit system. They would bid for flights in our system and follow Canadian FTL's''. With the introduction of MylDTravel you will now have the possibility to use staff tickets for yourselves or your families during the entire contract. As in previous years, it has been confirmed that you will be able to bid for up to 11 GDO's per month.

We hope that the news of the "Sunwing Pilot Secondment Contract" is welcome news to many of you, as it has been a long wait in very uncertain times. We also hope that we will be able to confirm as many of you as possible, preferably at your preferred base, although this will be very challenging.

Thank you for reading this far and on behalf of the Flight Operations Division we thank you for your time. If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

[Cavalier44]

I'm glad I got out of this company when I had the chance. I'm definitely glad I chose to stick with my present company rather than take the forced recall.

In more than a decade in this industry, I've never seen a management group treat its employees with the level of contempt that Sunwing does. Extreme disorganization at all levels, management impossible to get in touch with when you have a concern, and communications between the company and its' staff are proven to be egregious lies time and time again. Pay scales are some of the lowest in the industry, coupled with massive uncertainty about the future regarding the WestJet acquisition that management has done nothing to allay. I could go on and on. This latest episode with the company bypassing qualified FOs for the upgrade process only to bring in foreign pilots is just the latest slap in the face of many over the last two years.

If you are looking to apply to this company I strongly encourage you not to do so. No one should be applying to work at Sunwing until management gets their house in order.

[DanWEC]

This is disgusting.
Far cheaper to pay someone more for 3 months than a little less for 12.

Sunwing should start a seasonal Canadian contract program instead. Plenty of seasonal jobs out there, and I'm sure they can find 20 guys flying fire or bush that would fly for SWG in the winter.

[ads-b]

Or Sunwing can increase their pay and keep/attract pilots.

Embarrassing

[NovaBoy]

Correct me if I’m wrong but don’t Canadian Sunwing crews fly in Europe during the summer season?

[safetyfirst123]

Correct me if I’m wrong but don’t Canadian Sunwing crews fly in Europe during the summer season?

Yes they do, and this was in my opening post. This summer Sunwing has 6 aircraft flying for TUI. Currently they plan to bring 7 or 8 wet-leases this winter. These foreign pilots being brought to fly Canadian registered aircraft are well above those wet-leases and beyond any reciprocal arrangement Sunwing currently has.

The $5,000 USD per month in allotment for six months per pilot would go a long way towards training new-hires, but it's hard to attract qualified new-hires with the current pay-scale and uncertainty with the company. The sooner the executive management realizes that they can't continue operating the airline by applying every possible shortcut, the better the airline will be. There's a reason the public perception of Sunwing Airlines is as bad as it is, because the company treats the airline division as a necessary evil rather than a real airline.

I hate to paint such a bad picture because Sunwing used to be a well kept secret, and a great lifestyle gig for many with at the time reasonably competitive pay. Unfortunately the morale is at an all time low, but these issues are easily fixed and it starts from the top. Hopefully Sunwing will once again be a well kept secret that everybody working there will love again.

[fruz]

Correct me if I’m wrong but don’t Canadian Sunwing crews fly in Europe during the summer season?

You're also missing a pretty big point. This management is manifesting a situation to demonstrate to Service Canada that there are no pilots available in our market and they've exhausted all attempts to upgrade their own. In doing so they'll appeal for foreign workers to fill in. This is what they've done in the past.

This not only suppresses our pilot group but also our industry in Canada. This isn't good for anyone.

[safetyfirst123]

Correct me if I’m wrong but don’t Canadian Sunwing crews fly in Europe during the summer season?

You're also missing a pretty big point. This management is manifesting a situation to demonstrate to Service Canada that there are no pilots available in our market and they've exhausted all attempts to upgrade their own. In doing so they'll appeal for foreign workers to fill in. This is what they've done in the past.

This not only suppresses our pilot group but also our industry in Canada. This isn't good for anyone.

This is it in a nutshell. Thanks for putting it succinctly

[lownslow]

So do these shenanigans end when WJ buys them or do we see the same plan start to Swoop in to other domestic carriers?

[goingmissed]

So do these shenanigans end when WJ buys them or do we see the same plan start to Swoop in to other domestic carriers?

LOL They're not buying WG for the airplanes or routes...

[NovaBoy]

Correct me if I’m wrong but don’t Canadian Sunwing crews fly in Europe during the summer season?

You're also missing a pretty big point. This management is manifesting a situation to demonstrate to Service Canada that there are no pilots available in our market and they've exhausted all attempts to upgrade their own. In doing so they'll appeal for foreign workers to fill in. This is what they've done in the past.

This not only suppresses our pilot group but also our industry in Canada. This isn't good for anyone.

This is it in a nutshell. Thanks for putting it succinctly

Thanks, more than enough pilots to fill the void in Canada. I have no issues with an even sharing of flight crews between Europe and Canada. I actually think it’s a great idea and opportunity to live and fly in a different country.

Ya gotta wonder why no one in the government is questioning why Sunwing is the only airline in Canada in need of TFW to crew their aircraft.

[FICU]

With TUI owning such a large chunk of Sunwing you have to wonder what side of the pond runs the airline.

[safetyfirst123]

With TUI owning such a large chunk of Sunwing you have to wonder what side of the pond runs the airline.

Except Smartwings has nothing to do with TUI, and Smartwings is the company that has announced positions at Sunwing this winter for foreign pilots on Canadian registered aircraft. Perhaps TUI has similar plans, but these aren't publicly known yet. In the end, this decision has all the hallmarks of the Sunwing executive management, and they love cutting corners wherever possible. Sadly all this does is further divide the group, and in the end they spend a fortune to save a buck.

It would be refreshing if TUI had more control over Sunwing Airlines!

[boeingboy]

Sunwing needs to hire approximately 150 pilots to crew for the winter season. This doesn't take into account the fact that many at Sunwing are leaving for Air Canada, Flair, and other opportunities. Significantly, the recent upgrade process at Sunwing for 20 spots magically went all the way to the bottom of the seniority list, whereby well over 30 qualified applicants were bypassed for generic reasons. Clearly Sunwing did this in order to show the government that there is a pilot shortage and they need foreign pilots.

But there is a pilot shortage.....you just made that clear. It's not just Sunwing who's short - it's all the airlines. The entire airline system in Canada is in chaos.

Yea - The upgrade thing sure makes you wonder - but if they did upgrade the 20 FO's to captains - then you just need 20 more FO's - it doesn't change the fact you still need over 150 pilots. We go from 16 of our own A/C to over 40 (all leases). Who's going to fly them? In short - if they can't hire and train them fast enough to replace those that have left (or are leaving) then you still have a business to run and have to do what you can.

You can't blame everything on the company.