Let The Massive Hiring Begin!!!! FINALLY

[Sky_Conqueror]

Got a few numbers from the Big Red. I will start with what I have heard and then go on for other major regionals. So please follow closely.

Jazz is now the main feeder for pilots at AC with the new agreement they have gotten. Now with this in mind, AC is the big player in this part of the game. AC is opening the hiring taps again, with rumours for this to be ongoing until new instructions. This will reverberate all the way down the food chain to shitty shaddy bullshit slavery operators. AC usually starts gearing up in the fall for the high summer season. One big factor that has started the massive hiring is that AC is receiving new equipment such as a few more 787s and 777s. The second factor is that the retirement wave is about to start. So much of the main flow of pilots will come from Jazz. I have heard as much as 80% of pilots have a direct way in to AC, the other 20% are the other AC feeders (Sky, GGN) and freelance applicants with alot of hours who apply directly. I have heard that Jazz has a legal ratio of 15 pilots allowed to leave per month, or something along those lines. In the past months, I was told Jazz was having about 2 groundschools a month. This seems pretty accurate because there is one going on now, and the next one is scheduled on November 2nd. Each class has about 15 to 20 candidates. AC has projected to hire approx. 170 pilots by summer 2016, with probable the same number of candidates for the rest of 2016. The best case scenario number of hires for summer 2016 was 250 pilots, but that needs clarification and it seems a little to excessive. So AC has G/S going from November up to March 2016. Jazz has projected groundschools now I believe going into the new year as well. This will surely affect Jazz; so this is why Jazz is becoming very desperate for drivers....despite the ''POOLS''.

Now lets trickle down to another big player: Sky Regional. They are expecting 5 new EMB 175's for next spring. The number of pilots needed is 108+. This was confirmed by a source of mine. Technically we don't need the 108+ pilots for 5 planes as I am told. So the factor increasing the number might be the big Game Player: people leaving for AC. They posted 2 weeks ago so I believe this massive hiring has started for them as well.

Now Porter. Porter is waiting for the big news break: that goddamn CYTZ expansion for the jets. Everything is suspended now as we hold our breath for a possible new Government. The NDP has vowed apparently to listen to a few Torontonians; if in power they will not approve Billy Bishop expansion. If expansion is approved on the other hand, a high number of CSeries will come into play with an additional 5 Q400's. As you may have noticed, 3 weeks ago they considerably lowered the minimum requirements, and have finally approved an Early Connection program for pilots with 200 to 999 hours total. They seem to be preparing for massive hiring. I know that there are ground schools confirmed from January to March 2016 as well for them too. So the game may already be in play for them.

Unfortunately I do not have numbers for Westjet / Encore. All I know is that Encore is still expanding and still on ongoing recruitment for Q400 F/O's. So if we look at the picture we just analyzed and if things go out as planned.... end of 2015/2016 seems like a crazy year for hiring. And with the retirements coming into play, the music my continue for a few years as well. This suction will affect alot of middle turboprop carriers like Bear, Thunder, Wasaya (Weird I did not see any adds from them recently.....they usually post every 3 to 4 months!!!).

[Bede]

To all of you that are praising skyregional for their payscale, you don't seem to remember that not long ago the same job was made with captains pulling at least 120k or more a year and other great benefits.
Pay and benefits keep deteriorating and people are happy about it. CEOs must be laughing so hard...

That may be true, but looking back a pilot today is making far more at their experience level than I did when I started in the industry almost 20 years ago, even accounting for inflation (I sound like an old man). Back then you needed 1500-2000 hours+500 MPIC to get a job flying a PA31 for ~$30k/year (that's what it was for me). At ~4000 hours you could get left seat on a King Air making $50k. Now the 2000 hour guys is flying a Q400 and the 4000 hour guy is a captain at a regional.

For my first 10 years of flying I earned (I recorded this): $10k, $8k, $31k, $26k, $26k, $34k, $45k, $51k, $53k, $56k. For an average of $34k/year. It took me 14 years to crack $100k.
I think if I compared my career earnings for the first 10 years with someone starting now, they'd have me beat in 10 years.

[watermeth]

How much would it be adjusted to inflation today ?
So we could say that payscale, even if strating lower, increases faster than in previous years ?

[cdnpilot77]

How much would it be adjusted to inflation today ?
So we could say that payscale, even if strating lower, increases faster than in previous years ?

Well, Bede is old, so I would say his average yearly salary would be about $4.7million/yr in today's dollars. I think he's got us beat.

[Bede]

add about 2%/yr inflation. In 2000, that would be 30%. So I still only made $13k in today's dollars.

[fruitloops]

Good posts to put things in perspective Bede lol. It's innate for us pilots and 1st world humans for that matter to complain and always want more than they have. I'm just thankful things are happening and we have things to discuss and criticize!

Using Bank of Canada calculator.

[newcomer]

The biggest purchase you'll ever make is buying a house/condo.
If I take Montreal as an example, a condo sold for 100 000$ in 2000 is now worth 250 000$ (at least).
The big difference is right there, you cannot apply the 2% a year rule.

[JohnnyHotRocks]

add about 2%/yr inflation. In 2000, that would be 30%. So I still only made $13k in today's dollars.

Aviation Whore!!!

[Kosiw]

So SR's recent ad for cpt"s (and before that fo's) must be part of the 108 stated in this thread. And now Porter with its coming open house, and Georgian getting more RJs(?) again as rumoured here on AvCan, things are finally moving...

When will there be upward pressure on wages when these Tier 2's can't meet hiring quotas and expansion plans ?

Gotta love the ole' supply and demand concept when it works in our favor.

[Sky_Conqueror]

The number is usually for the projected staffing numbers for first quarter 2016. It does not take in consideration people probably moving on to AC, or WJ mainline. As for pay, I don't think its projected to change for a long long while.

[loopa]

I'd like to guess with the number of pilot's available due to Alberta's lay off regime, supply is more than demand at the moment. Doesn't sound like SR is offering the worst of the regional's when it comes to working conditions. Most F/O's over 50k and Captain's in their mid 80's flying 80 hours a month. If you fly more then you make more.

Don't Sunwing F/O's start at 56, and Captains at 85? Pretty comparable rates across the board. Nothing to run home about, but still not the worst by any means available in our industry.

[Floatwotter]

I see pilot career centre has a whole list of recruitment personnel for Jazz. Should I address my cover letter to the person listed as 'Pilot Recruitment Team' or 'Pilot Recruitment Coordinator' ?