AirSprint Fleet Transition

[bythenumbers]

When is the deadline for applying in this round of hiring?

[AirSprint HR]

When is the deadline for applying in this round of hiring?

There is no official deadline but we are currently reviewing applications and conducting interviews. We have hired one pilot already and interviews should continue for the next week or two. I would recommend getting your resume in today or tomorrow if you would like to be considered for this round of hiring.

Regards,

James - AirSprint HR

[jgppilot]

AirsprintHR:

Thumbs up to the informative pilot career brochure! Is there a ballpark average for the time to upgrade. I suspect this will change with the fleet transition, any idea what future pilots can expect for upgrade times?

Cheers!

[AirSprint HR]

AirsprintHR:

Thumbs up to the informative pilot career brochure! Is there a ballpark average for the time to upgrade. I suspect this will change with the fleet transition, any idea what future pilots can expect for upgrade times?

Cheers!

The transition has seen us upgrade a large number of our pilots and as such we have a bit of a gap of those who have the time to upgrade in the next 12 months. As such, right now I would put upgrade times at less then 12 months for those who join us with 3000+ hours. This can change based on what the industry/economy does of course.

James - AirSprint HR

[jgppilot]

AirsprintHR:

Thumbs up to the informative pilot career brochure! Is there a ballpark average for the time to upgrade. I suspect this will change with the fleet transition, any idea what future pilots can expect for upgrade times?

Cheers!

The transition has seen us upgrade a large number of our pilots and as such we have a bit of a gap of those who have the time to upgrade in the next 12 months. As such, right now I would put upgrade times at less then 12 months for those who join us with 3000+ hours. This can change based on what the industry/economy does of course.

James - AirSprint HR

Thanks James! My time is a bit low at the moment, 2500-3000 in about 2 years, I look forward to applying then.

Cheers

[PT6Lover]

Hi Airsprint,

I have been following your company for quite some time and if my current job was not as good as it is I would be sending you my resume.
I read through your pilot career brochure and noticed one thing that I did find a little bit of a surprise, the amount of the bond is significant, now I imagine that most pilots who come to work for you stay as your conditions are excellent and your employees all seem happy with their jobs. but none the less I find a bond of 49.31 per day for 2 years quite high, for anyone who hasn't done the math yet that's 35,996$. if the idea is to scare people out of leaving I think you have nailed it but that is a large number, have you always had such a large bond? were there issues with pilots getting "jet time" then running to the airlines? I would have thought with the conditions and salaries most would be happy but I guess this is aviation after all isn't it.

I'm not trying to criticize, I'm simply curious about this condition of employment.

Thanks,

[D for Delux]

Hi Airsprint,

I have been following your company for quite some time and if my current job was not as good as it is I would be sending you my resume.
I read through your pilot career brochure and noticed one thing that I did find a little bit of a surprise, the amount of the bond is significant, now I imagine that most pilots who come to work for you stay as your conditions are excellent and your employees all seem happy with their jobs. but none the less I find a bond of 49.31 per day for 2 years quite high, for anyone who hasn't done the math yet that's 35,996$. if the idea is to scare people out of leaving I think you have nailed it but that is a large number, have you always had such a large bond? were there issues with pilots getting "jet time" then running to the airlines? I would have thought with the conditions and salaries most would be happy but I guess this is aviation after all isn't it.

I'm not trying to criticize, I'm simply curious about this condition of employment.

Thanks,

Valid question.
steep bond!
DFD

[cxchd]

When is the deadline for applying in this round of hiring?

There is no official deadline but we are currently reviewing applications and conducting interviews. We have hired one pilot already and interviews should continue for the next week or two. I would recommend getting your resume in today or tomorrow if you would like to be considered for this round of hiring.

Regards,

James - AirSprint HR

Hi James. Have you finished this round of hiring yet? Really like the company outline and I have sent in a resume. If the hiring in finished do you see anymore in the near future? Is there a way to confirm the HR department received my resume?

[AirSprint HR]

Hi Airsprint,

I have been following your company for quite some time and if my current job was not as good as it is I would be sending you my resume.
I read through your pilot career brochure and noticed one thing that I did find a little bit of a surprise, the amount of the bond is significant, now I imagine that most pilots who come to work for you stay as your conditions are excellent and your employees all seem happy with their jobs. but none the less I find a bond of 49.31 per day for 2 years quite high, for anyone who hasn't done the math yet that's 35,996$. if the idea is to scare people out of leaving I think you have nailed it but that is a large number, have you always had such a large bond? were there issues with pilots getting "jet time" then running to the airlines? I would have thought with the conditions and salaries most would be happy but I guess this is aviation after all isn't it.

I'm not trying to criticize, I'm simply curious about this condition of employment.

Thanks,

Hi PT6,

The $36k amount has been in place for the last 12 years and is intended as a retraining cost (all in) should someone leave. It is not meant as a cash grab as we don't require any payment from the pilot unless they leave within two years, and then it is only the prorated amount. We have had a few pilots leave over the years within 6 months of training as the jet experience raised their score at AC or WJ making them attractive for those companies. Our position with the performance agreement is simply that we agree to pay for training and the pilot agrees to stay for 2 years. If they decide to leave to follow their dream of flying something bigger, we are fine with that (and genuinly wish them the best) but they should pay the remaining amount in order to mitigate the consequences to their remaining peers. Every dollar spent on retraining is a dollar that can better be spent on improving wages and benefits. Since 2009 we have increased pilot wages by at least 20%, benefits by a similar amount, and introduced an expensive preferential bidding system in order to improve the quality of life of our pilots and improve retention. Having pilots leave shortly after training without a performance agreement would reduce the amount that can be used for remaining staff.

Hope this helps.

James - AirSprint HR

[AirSprint HR]

When is the deadline for applying in this round of hiring?

There is no official deadline but we are currently reviewing applications and conducting interviews. We have hired one pilot already and interviews should continue for the next week or two. I would recommend getting your resume in today or tomorrow if you would like to be considered for this round of hiring.

Regards,

James - AirSprint HR

Hi James. Have you finished this round of hiring yet? Really like the company outline and I have sent in a resume. If the hiring in finished do you see anymore in the near future? Is there a way to confirm the HR department received my resume?

I know that we recently hired a few people but am not sure if we are done with this round. Give Vesna Hudson (keeper of the resumes) a call (877.588.2344) and she can give you the most recent info and confirm receipt of your resume. If you don't hear back by the end of the week send me a PM with your name and I'll find out.

James - AirSprint HR

[Johnny#5]

$36,000 bond to train on a Citation?!?!?!?!?!?!? C'mon!!!!!!!! It's not a new Sovereign or a Ten....it's an XLS or a CJ!

That is an inflated amount that is completely out-to-lunch. Brutal.

[fish4life]

It's probably accurate to represent the all in cost including hotels and training pay

[cxchd]

40K at another corporate/ charter operation. This does include accommodations, and training. 2 year no pro-rating.

[Krimson]

42k at another, prorated 2 years.

[riaz6668]

Ok so is it just me or has no one else received a response after submitting a resume? Just curious. Thanks guys

[flyinhigh]

$36,000 bond to train on a Citation?!?!?!?!?!?!? C'mon!!!!!!!! It's not a new Sovereign or a Ten....it's an XLS or a CJ.

You should perhaps call FSI and get a cost of this training, than add the cost of hotels, airfares, perdiems, car rentals, etc.

You will soon see that you are completely out to lunch in your expectation of what a bond should be.

[Johnny#5]

Sure, I'll call FSI and just some random person out-of-the-blue will get a ridiculous quote...I'm sure Air Sprint gets a much better deal.

I know someone who did a Challenger course recently and their bond isn't as steep. Air Sprint isn't the only culprit, bonds are generally too high in this country.

[scopiton]

I heard training expenses are tax deductible for the employer, not sure.

[PT6Lover]

Hi Airsprint HR,

thank you for your reply, I can understand having a bond but I still can't get my head around the amount, It seems inflated. From my experience, the training costs just are not that high. My issue is not the bond itself but the amount.

I currently fly a jet similar in size to the CJ2 and I book and reserve everything, the initial was Closer to 20k all in per person.
Initial 17 day course 15k
Flight (to/from) 1100$
Hotel 1700$
Per diems (100$ per day) 1700$
Rental car 600$ /2 300$

Where I work they have a 2 year bond pro rated for 20k, I didn't like it and I'm no fan of bonds but I understand why they exist and frankly it's insurance for the employer, I felt this one was fair and the conditions are great with good pay so I have no intention of leaving. (I would have preferred no bond, but there were a thousand pros to outweigh this one negative) which I'm sure most at airSprint feel as well.

I appreciate your transparency and being so open to discussing this with everyone. I genuinely like your company i think you have made great moves to improve pilot conditions and thereby retain your valued employees. I only ask the question to inquire if the conditions are that good and you position yoursefl as a career job company trying to create the best possible conditions for your pilots then why have such a steep bond? it seems, in my humble opinion, Unnecessary.

One last question, do require a new bond everytime someone upgrades or changes equipment?

Just a thought,
Thanks,

[AirSprint HR]

Hi Airsprint HR,

thank you for your reply, I can understand having a bond but I still can't get my head around the amount, It seems inflated. From my experience, the training costs just are not that high. My issue is not the bond itself but the amount.

I currently fly a jet similar in size to the CJ2 and I book and reserve everything, the initial was Closer to 20k all in per person.
Initial 17 day course 15k
Flight (to/from) 1100$
Hotel 1700$
Per diems (100$ per day) 1700$
Rental car 600$ /2 300$

Where I work they have a 2 year bond pro rated for 20k, I didn't like it and I'm no fan of bonds but I understand why they exist and frankly it's insurance for the employer, I felt this one was fair and the conditions are great with good pay so I have no intention of leaving. (I would have preferred no bond, but there were a thousand pros to outweigh this one negative) which I'm sure most at airSprint feel as well.

I appreciate your transparency and being so open to discussing this with everyone. I genuinely like your company i think you have made great moves to improve pilot conditions and thereby retain your valued employees. I only ask the question to inquire if the conditions are that good and you position yoursefl as a career job company trying to create the best possible conditions for your pilots then why have such a steep bond? it seems, in my humble opinion, Unnecessary.

One last question, do require a new bond everytime someone upgrades or changes equipment?

Just a thought,
Thanks,

PT6,

There are many costs associated with new employees that AirSprint incurs that maybe other companies don't (although my research shows that 36k is comparable or lower than most comparable companies). These costs include, among others:

iPad
Custom fit leather jacket
Other uniform items
3rd party training software subscription
Company indoc training hotel and transportation (as required), per diems, and wages (7+ days)
Pilot wages during training
Training captain pay (our indoc process is much longer than the TC minimum required)
Hiring costs
Inefficiencies due to being down a pilot during the transition period

The real costs are greater than 36k, and the recovery for someone 11 months in is around 19k (pro rated amount). In regards to the question about additional bonds, we require a performance agreement for changing aircraft type only. When a pilot achieves 5 years of employment, any existing performance agreement or future one is reduced by half.

I wish that the performance agreement was not necessary, but the reality is that there will always be pilots who leave shortly after training as even a little jet time can be a huge career benefit. The common feeling by many pilots is that this hurts the company. The reality is that this hurts their fellow pilots as it reduces the amount that can be made available as improvements to wages/benefits/schedule. Pilots who leave shortly after training makes it harder for me to improve the lives of those who want to stay long term and it is for this reason why the performance agreement exists. Hope this provides some insight.

Regards,

James - AirSprint HR