April 7th course

[Jaques Strappe]

To those who may have gotten a PFO letter, while I admit, I don't know all the ins and outs of the hiring process at AC, I do know that I have flown with guys you did get a PFO initially only to be hired on a second round of the process.

I believe they are hiring on a bell curve sort of thing so my advice would be don't take a PFO personally or throw in the towel.

[3Green]

Do NOT give up. Seriously.
Re-apply today.

[FL020]

what does re-apply today mean? Do you have to wait the 6 months?!

[Phlyer]

Thanks guys. I am bummed but better men than me got the pfo also. I also know a couple of guys that got pfo'd and then got a course date a few months later - go figure.
I'll apply again at the six month mark - three months from now.

[groundtoflightdeck]

Just got the competitive candidate letter! Sorry to hear about those who didn't make it. As they said in the interview most people try it more than once before getting on.

Best of Luck.

[Phlyer]

Congrats to you!

[rudder]

US majors are all shutting down hirng, reducing domestic capacity by double digits, and somehow AC will be immune to all of this? Sure - just like after 9/11.

[tonysoprano]

You obviously haven't been reading the papers Rudder. Not saying these guys are experts but they are suggesting WJ and AC will do much better through this storm than our friends to the south. Let's wait and see.

[rudder]

If you read the articles closely, you will see the parties that are claiming that they will be largely unaffected are representatives for AC and WJ themselves, not the analysts. I do not doubt that it will be a softer landing in Canada. But make no mistake - the boom is over. There is quite a contrast between the presentations made at the two transportation conferences held in Toronto and New York on March 18th.

Only an idiot would believe that the world's largest economy could settle into recession and their business in that market will not come under pressure. In AC's case, WJ has set out to dramatically increase their domestic market share - this means overcapacity and depressed yields. On the transborder front - well that is obvious. On the international front - AC relies heavily on the strategy of US feed to CDN hubs to overseas destinations. There will clearly be a drop in both business and leisure traffic originating in the US. Parity in the $ does not help when you are tying to syphon traffic off of DL/NW/AA.

I do not see another CCAA filing in AC's future (although there may be a US major that will find itself in CH 11 again before the US recession ends). But everybody else is re-evaluating 2008 business plans based on expensive oil and low yields in dometic travel, and it would be wise for AC to do so as well. One lesson learned down south is to be pre-emptive rather than reactive.

Remember who owns the airlnes now - it is the former creditors and they are not willing to put up with another haircut.

[piggy]

Yes AC and wesjet will be ok in the medium term, however dont even think for a second that Canada, especially On and Quebec are not immune. They are calling for Ontario to be in a recession shortly. Canada will follow the usa in about a year or so. Aircanada will feel cost pressures from labour, oil price , and westjet- as they expand. Air Canada is also heavily exposed to the us transborder market and they will feel the pinch there-do you think all the laid off guys in new york on wall st. and all the people whos house has decline by 10% and is forcast to go dn another 10-40% are going to travel to Canada and spend their weak US dollars?? Canadians will and have been traveling more with lots o jobs and a strong currency but it wont be enough to change the effect the usa has on airlines in Canada.
I predict within 2-4 yrs a major airline in the usa will go out of business. Before that happens though, some more banks like bear sterns will go bankrupt in the usa as well.
Most guys say to sell AC stock and buy WJ stock due the above concerns and the fact that a comfortable du-opoly exists today in Canada, however, Wj can reduce prices significantly and still be profitable where AC may not for a extended period of time.
If china's bubble bursts then forget a recession, it will be a depression, similar to 1929.

[tonysoprano]

Yikes. Sounds pretty serious guys. At any rate, back to the topic, congrats to the guys on the April 7 course. Those interested, 2009 and 2010 will see many retirements. Um, GiddyUp, er something like that.

[73NG]

Here we go again.



Aloha Airgroup files for bankruptcy protection
Fri Mar 21, 2008 1:26pm Aloha Airgroup Inc, the parent of Aloha Airlines Inc, has filed for bankruptcy protection and blamed "predatory pricing" by competitor Mesa Airlines for its troubles.

The company, which employs 3,500, had emerged from bankruptcy protection about two years ago.

Hawaii-based Aloha on Thursday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, asking the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to allow it to continue to operate and to approve its financing arrangement with its principal working capital lender, General Motors Acceptance Corp.

GMAC is owned by private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management [CBS.UL] and General Motors Corp (GM.N: Quote, Profile, Research).

Aloha cited its inability to generate sufficient revenues from its inter-island passenger business due to predatory pricing by Mesa Air Group's (MESA.O: Quote, Profile, Research) go! airline.

"In the highly competitive inter-island market, Aloha was forced to match go!'s below-cost fares at a time when the airline industry was facing unprecedented increases in the cost of jet fuel," the company said in a statement.

Phoenix-based Mesa Air Group launched its go! airline inter-island Hawaiian service in June 2006. A spokesman for Mesa could not be reached immediately for comment. (Reporting by Ilaina Jonas; Editing by Leslie Adler)

[whiteguy]

Here we go again.



Aloha Airgroup files for bankruptcy protection
Fri Mar 21, 2008 1:26pm Aloha Airgroup Inc, the parent of Aloha Airlines Inc, has filed for bankruptcy protection and blamed "predatory pricing" by competitor Mesa Airlines for its troubles.

The company, which employs 3,500, had emerged from bankruptcy protection about two years ago.

Hawaii-based Aloha on Thursday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, asking the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to allow it to continue to operate and to approve its financing arrangement with its principal working capital lender, General Motors Acceptance Corp.

GMAC is owned by private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management [CBS.UL] and General Motors Corp (GM.N: Quote, Profile, Research).

Aloha cited its inability to generate sufficient revenues from its inter-island passenger business due to predatory pricing by Mesa Air Group's (MESA.O: Quote, Profile, Research) go! airline.

"In the highly competitive inter-island market, Aloha was forced to match go!'s below-cost fares at a time when the airline industry was facing unprecedented increases in the cost of jet fuel," the company said in a statement.

Phoenix-based Mesa Air Group launched its go! airline inter-island Hawaiian service in June 2006. A spokesman for Mesa could not be reached immediately for comment. (Reporting by Ilaina Jonas; Editing by Leslie Adler)

Not really a surprise. HA and AQ have always had a difficult time and now you Mesa going in with Jetsgo pricing. Only a matter of time!

[tonysoprano]

73NG.
Not quite sure what Aloha's problems or even your initial thread have to do with an AC April 7 course. Showed up to divert the good news topic and since AC doesn't have any 73NGs, I think I know what you're up to.

[73NG]

No Tony, thats the way the tread was going. To be completely honest, by what I was reading, It fit right in fine. Sorry to piss you off, don't know exactly what you mean by me trying to start something. Congrats to all you guys on the April 7th course.

[WJ700]

A little touchy Tony? I don't know who this 73NG guy is but the post a few up did mention another US carrier going Chapter 11... and he posted the story...

Perhaps you just don't like that airplane... the 737.. or is it something else??

[tonysoprano]

A little touchy Tony? I don't know who this 73NG guy is but the post a fe w up did mention another US carrier going Chapter 11... and he posted the story...

Perhaps you just don't like that airplane... the 737.. or is it something else??

Rudder's first thread on this topic questioned the the state of the industry and AC, perhaps insinuating these new hires at AC shouldn't be too happy? Not sure. The topic has nothing to do with that. Perhaps you didn't scroll up enough to see it. Me touchy? What would you call it WJ700? I mean, he wasn't even trying to be funny. I would have welcomed a humor troll. I just found it a curious way to join a thread. Your comments are pretty shallow as well. 73NG joined in only to add fuel to the fire and hey, not many companies with a 73NG in Canada. Gee, I wonder who it might be? Pretty easy to narrow it down to a couple. Anyway, carry on.

[piggy]

The original post asked the question "And I've heard rumours that this would be the last course for a while... Anyone heard different?"

I guess as a discussion related to the question , the was posts with facts involved with the economy which could have a impact on hiring. THIS would affect future courses I would think.

[tonysoprano]

Keep digging Piggy.

[kenuck]

"And I've heard rumours that this would be the last course for a while... Anyone heard different?"

So.....has anyone?
Cheers

[groundtoflightdeck]

I've got it strait from the Pilot Recruitment that they are not planning on any new hire courses until the fall- subject to change as usual. So enjoy the summer and keep your fingers crossed!

[bcflyer]

I've got it strait from the Pilot Recruitment that they are not planning on any new hire courses until the fall- subject to change as usual. So enjoy the summer and keep your fingers crossed!

The reason for this was quite clearly explained very early on in this thread.

[kenuck]

I've got it strait from the Pilot Recruitment that they are not planning on any new hire courses until the fall- subject to change as usual. So enjoy the summer and keep your fingers crossed!

Thanks for that. Just curious about when the interviews for those fall courses might be...that is if they haven't already begun.

Cheers

[. .]

It's going to be hard times for those at the end of the interview wave from early this year. Hopefully the better ones will be kept in a pool and held until the fall hiring starts. Definitely a long wait ahead no matter what.

[Noob]

Hard I assume because there will be no one with a lower number until the fall? From what was said earlier with the attrition hiring over the next few years (400 over the next 3 years I think) hopefully it will be a fairly short wait, and well worth the short term pain.