Air Canada pilot retirements

[jim_from_texas]

Hi,

Anyone know projected retirement numbers for AC pilots in the coming years?

Thanks

[North Shore]

Depends whether they retire at 60 or not!

(Too bad there's no pot-stirring smiley!)

[yycflyguy]

Status quo = Just under 1000 over the next 8 years.

[jim_from_texas]

thanks. With the new aircraft orders will the company expand or just replace old aircraft? I guess what I'm getting at is, will the new pilot hiring numbers be just for retirement or expansion as well?

[yycflyguy]

thanks. With the new aircraft orders will the company expand or just replace old aircraft? I guess what I'm getting at is, will the new pilot hiring numbers be just for retirement or expansion as well?

Both, I think. The 787s deliveries are set for 2013 (last I heard) but as they are introduced more and more 767s and A330s will be taken out of service. If they decide to keep some of the 767s, the net result should be more airframes on property but I don't think CR knows what the day will bring when it is time to make those decisions. The plan of the day back in 2006 was that the 777 and 787s were going to replace the 767s, A330s and A340s. The A340s are all gone now.

The fly past 60 crowd should start coming back any time now. How many come back and how long they stay before retiring/re-retiring will be anyone's guess. I also suspect that as fly past 60 becomes the "norm", more and more guys will stick around a couple more years to top up pensions or counteract the extra time they spent in a lower seniority position.

A little vague, I know, but there are several variables at play.

[jim_from_texas]

How junior do EMB capt positions tend to go, YYZ base?

[Lost in Saigon]

As of today the most junior EMB Captain "on the line" was hired in May 2006.

The most junior "awarded" EMB Captain was hired in Jul 2006, but he won't get trained until sometime in 2011.

[yycflyguy]

The CA position on the EMB is held out of seniority to more junior pilots as many view the non-traditional-formula, no day/night split for 75% of what the DC9 made 10 years ago undesirable so they sit in their A320FO or B767FO position for comparable salary but better lifestyle. Those that get hired tomorrow shouldn't necessarily expect that in 5 years they will be a EMB CA.

[Lost in Saigon]

The CA position on the EMB is held out of seniority to more junior pilots as many view the non-traditional-formula, no day/night split for 75% of what the DC9 made 10 years ago undesirable so they sit in their A320FO or B767FO position for comparable salary but better lifestyle. Those that get hired tomorrow shouldn't necessarily expect that in 5 years they will be a EMB CA.

Why not? I doubt there will be much change to the pay or working conditions on the EMB in the near future. In the past when we had some upward movement, you could hold EMB Captain with only about 2 years with the company.

[yycflyguy]

The CA position on the EMB is held out of seniority to more junior pilots as many view the non-traditional-formula, no day/night split for 75% of what the DC9 made 10 years ago undesirable so they sit in their A320FO or B767FO position for comparable salary but better lifestyle. Those that get hired tomorrow shouldn't necessarily expect that in 5 years they will be a EMB CA.

Why not? I doubt there will be much change to the pay or working conditions on the EMB in the near future. In the past when we had some upward movement, you could hold EMB Captain with only about 2 years with the company.

It is my hope (read "naivety") that the Embraer formula and PG will be addressed in this round of negotiations. If the formula is brought into line with the other aircraft I believe more pilots would bid it and it wouldn't go as junior. In the past when guys with 2 years got the EMB CA they couldn't hold it in subsequent bids and were forced into the right seat or onto the A320FO. In this last stagnation period (since the last hiring) guys with my seniority went from around 67-70% holding a junior block to barely holding it as junior reserve at 95%.