Porter - This time round

[kenuck]

Hi folks,

Just wondering if anyone who interviewed in the last couple weeks has heard back from them yet.

Thanks!

[ILS26_Steep]

These are just rumours. BUT.... Last I heard. The next class in January is suppose to be FO's only. Obviously this depends on how many FO's are qualified for upgrade in January, than the two in Feb and March will be a mix of direct entry captains and FO's. But who knows!
I'm sure you will hear back in two weeks if you got in for January's class! Good Luck

[Valhalla]

These next classes will be all FO's. No need for DEC at this point as there are plenty of upgradeable F/O's now.

[ng78]

These next classes will be all FO's. No need for DEC at this point as there are plenty of upgradeable F/O's now.

No, I believe there will still be some DEC's in the near future, although I can't confirm which classes they'll be in.

[Valhalla]

ng78, ask your DFO or Chief Pilot. No more DECs.

[bravowhiskey]

Are the interviews finished for 2010?

[ng78]

ng78, ask your DFO or Chief Pilot. No more DECs.

Unfortunately, I don't have a DFO or Chief Pilot I guess we'll see what happens, but why would they be interviewing a number of pilots for DEC positions if none will be available? Perhaps a decision was made very recently not to hire any, or then time will tell. Either way, there's quite a bit of hiring coming up and that's a good thing. Good luck to everybody who's applied!

[kenuck]

Well regardless of what seat/position that you applied for, if you hear anything, good or bad, please do tell so the rest of us know when the calls do come out.

Cheers

[KAG]

What is the average experience of the FO's they are hiring? It just seem's strange that they need to hire DEC's, but I guess with the Former Skyservice pilots still around, there is a wealth of experience to hire.

[aviator2010]

and zoom pilots

[SonicSun]

Rumours say F/O applicants needs at least 2 internal references, is that still true?

[sandbagger757]

Yes...it's true.

[skywave]

Interviewed in early 2010, and all I've heard so far is that I'm in the pool. No news since.

[sandbagger757]

Same here.

[Doin' Good]

For the pilots that have been called for the January GS, does anyone know when they interviewed?
Any PFO's yet?

[AlphaSierra]

For the pilots that have been called for the January GS, does anyone know when they interviewed?
Any PFO's yet?

A couple mates of mine just interviewed and one was hired.

Even if you are successful, it takes a LLLOOONNNGGG time for them to get back to you. Sometimes 2-3 months.

[sandbagger757]

A couple mates of mine just interviewed and one was hired.

Hello AlphaSierra

Are you able to define "hired"? I'm not being a smart-ass as I am in the this "pool" of potential hiree's and I interviewed back in May.

Thanks

[COMETer]

I've seen thar Porter flight attendents. They are hot!!! Reason number one to go to Porter!!!!

[COMETer]

A couple mates of mine just interviewed and one was hired.

Hello AlphaSierra

Are you able to define "hired"? I'm not being a smart-ass as I am in the this "pool" of potential hiree's and I interviewed back in May.

Thanks

WELL call them to check up on your status. Maybe they lost your paperworks. Stranger things have happened.

If Porter hired me, I would take the first available class.

[sandbagger757]

Well regardless of what seat/position that you applied for, if you hear anything, good or bad, please do tell so the rest of us know when the calls do come out.

Got a call yesterday and despite my experience I was told the Captain positions I interviewed for back in May are no longer available. After I told them I would accept an FO position, they said I could be sitting right seat for a couple years and they would get back to me with their decision. The long wait continues.

[Squid]

In my opinion it better not be a long term plan for you.
The numbers still aren't great and the revenue provided by ancillary revenue (terminal etc) won't cut it either.

This will get ugly this spring and I'll bet a hot cup of tims that they won't be growing much if not downsizing over the next year.

Just my opinion but there is a reason why most of the current pilot group is applying to other companies. The mice are leaving the ship.

IMHO

[justwork]

In my opinion it better not be a long term plan for you.
The numbers still aren't great and the revenue provided by ancillary revenue (terminal etc) won't cut it either.

This will get ugly this spring and I'll bet a hot cup of tims that they won't be growing much if not downsizing over the next year.

Just my opinion but there is a reason why most of the current pilot group is applying to other companies. The mice are leaving the ship.

IMHO

Go to www.flyporter.com click on about porter, then news releases. Here you will find everything back to 2006, there you can look and see just how much the load factor has increased each year, month to month. The company is continually showing an increase in load factor as well as RPM. As of November the load factor YTD was 53.4% and they break even at %49. I don't see Porter ever having as high a load factor as WJ, but they don't need to have it that high because they bread even so much lower.

I'll take your bet, If they're downsizing at anytime in 2011 I will buy you a cup of tims, but I expect you to hold your end of the deal up to! I'll take an extra large double double.

February 17th they start flying back to Myrtle Beach seasonally. The new aircraft will be arriving in the next few months, and I don't know where they're going to use them unless the announce another destination or two.

Good luck to everyone who has interviewed.

[aileron]

...This will get ugly this spring and I'll bet a hot cup of tims that they won't be growing much if not downsizing over the next year.

LOL! Tims prepaid cards are great, shall we say December 31st 2011 the term will be a $10 gift card to good old aileron (promise to share with my buddy sitting next to me)... won't growing much will have to be sorted out for the terms, so what do you think is fair? How about if we don't announce the exercising of our 6 additional options for new Q400s. I'll tell you what, if you're right I'll sweeten the pot and send you a $50 Tims gift card!!!

Press release for December 2010 Statistics: Canada News Wire

And Reuters copied below.


WestJet loads down in December, Porter higher
Thu Jan 6, 2011 1:38pm EST

OTTAWA (Reuters) - WestJet Airlines Ltd, Canada's No. 2 carrier, flew emptier planes in December as it boosted capacity, while the planes of smaller regional rival Porter Airlines were fuller in the travel-heavy month.

Despite its lower load factor in December, WestJet said on Thursday it still expects final figures will show it had higher revenue per available seat mile (RASM) in the fourth quarter. The revenue that an airline earns from flying one seat one mile is a key industry measure.

"We expect improved RASM in the fourth quarter, which is in line with our previous guidance given in our third-quarter results," Chief Executive Gregg Saretsky said in a statement.

Calgary-based WestJet said its December load factor, the percentage of available seats filled with paying customers, fell to 80.3 percent from 81.7 percent in December 2009.

Traffic, or revenue passenger miles, increased by 10.9 percent in December, and capacity, or available seat miles, grew 12.9 percent.

For the fourth quarter, the load factor was 0.1 percent higher as traffic increased 13.9 percent and capacity rose 13.8 percent. For the full year, the load factor rose 1.2 percent, traffic was up 12.9 percent and capacity 11.1 percent.

Canaccord Genuity analyst David Tyerman said WestJet's traffic data marks a "strong rebound year."

WestJet shares were up 1.4 percent, or 20 Canadian cents, at C$14.50 on the Toronto Stock Exchange at midday on Thursday.

Privately owned Porter Airlines, Canada's No. 3 scheduled carrier, said on Thursday that its load factor increased 12.6 percent in December to 62.4 percent from 49.8 percent in December 2009.

Traffic increased 43 percent and capacity rose 13.9 percent.

Porter, a regional airline which flies out of Toronto's downtown Billy Bishop Airport, put off a proposed initial public offering of its shares last year due to lack of response.

($1=$1.00 Canadian)

(Reporting by Susan Taylor; editing by Peter Galloway)

[sandbagger757]

Good news indeed!

[Squid]

CommunityAIR's Press Release, today:

Porter’s December:

Does Fewer Flights Mean Business Has Peaked?

Porter today crows that it has increased its load factor, implying increasing business success.

But when the numbers are more closely analyzed the picture does not look so rosy. Here is why...

There are two ways to increase load factors:

· Attract more passengers by reducing ticket prices.

That strategy hasn’t worked very well for Porter, as even with increasingly frequent advertised 20 and 30% discounts, the trend over the last six months is in the opposite direction. See chart below.

December revenue passenger miles (the total number of paying passengers, times the miles each flew) of 57.9 million are a marked decline from the peak months of July and August - 61.4 and 63.7 million respectively. A drop in passenger loads of -9.1% since August.

September, October and November were slightly worse than December, but all were significantly lower than last summer’s peak.

In 2009, the situation was very different. Porter’s revenue passenger miles grew consistently from July to December, from 29.9 to 40.5 million. However, that increase just about matched 2009’s growth in the number of available seat miles (the standard measure of capacity), as Porter’s planes continued to fly half-empty.

· Decrease the number of seats available, by reducing the number of miles its planes fly.



The December numbers confirm that Porter’s made significant reductions – from 98.3 million available seat miles in November to 92.8 in December – a drop of 5.4% in one month.

Porter peaked in terms of capacity in August, at 99.7 million available seat miles. Porter’s planes are sitting on the ground more often.

The significant fact that the numbers reveal is that the growth of Porter's business has stalled.



Because its passenger growth has stalled, Porter has reduced the number of flights (available seat miles).



It is that reduction that has led to the increase in load factor announced today.



What Porter’s not revealing is how all this affects its bottom line. It can’t be good.



As of March 31, 2010, date of the last available financial information, Porter had accumulated losses of $44,505,000.



The load factor data released today, when considered against the previous five months’, suggest that that bottom line can only get worse.



Here are the load factor data for the past six months, with comparison to 2009, as released by Porter:



2010

July



August

September

October

November

December

Revenue Passenger Miles (millions)



61.4

63.7

53.8

55.7

53.1

57.9

Available Seat Miles(millions)



99.1

99.7

96.4

98.8

98.3

92.8

Load Factor %

61.9

63.8

55.8

56.3

54

62.4


2009

July



August

September

October

November

December

Revenue Passenger Miles (millions)



29.9

31.0

29.9

39.3

38.4

40.5

Available Seat Miles(millions)



61.0

59.1

62.8

76.2

77.7

81.5

Load Factor %

49

57.4

47.6

51.6

49.4

49.8


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