Air Sprint Salary

[LegoMan]

Quite a bit of bad info in this post. You’re not at the companies beck and call 24hrs/ 7 days a week. You have a preferential bid schedule that comes out every month or you’re on a rotation. Your days on/ days off aren’t messed with after the schedule is published and when you’re off you’re not expected to answer your phone. When on days on you have a 2.5 hour call out.

Also, the “never know what you’re doing” isn’t very accurate either. I work at Airsprint(shocker) and I’m on the 16/12 bid schedule. My schedule almost always works out to 8 on 6 off. In my 8 days on I usually know what I’m doing 3-4 days in advance. Yup, sometimes things change and those 3-4 days will completely change but that really doesn’t bother me, guess I’m just less sensitive than most here.

Pilots don’t do their own flight planning anymore.

Yes, you have to keep your plane clean when you’re on the road. Every private/ corporate operation is like this. It’s not hard work. If one pilot tackles the inside and one the outside it’s 15 minutes or less.

And lastly, you won’t be making $123k your first year as a captain, everyone starts on the 16/12 bid schedule so every captain on the CJ starts at $135k, every Embraer captain starts at $145k.

Do I wish it was a 12 year scale like everywhere else? Sure.
That being said, I’m still pretty happy the way things turned out and it’s a great place to work, especially for those of us that have no interest in airlines.

Is the PBS for rotation selection like 7/7 or 8/6 or is it just for booking vacation? Like can you go 8./6 one month and then 7/7 another?

Not sure what all the hooting and hollering is about. I have friends flying charter that have zero schedule. 24/7 on call only on a 2-man crew and don't get paid anywhere near this. Comparing AirSprint to Porter is just dumb, sorry but it is. At the end of the day there have been several pay raises in the last few years (I've been following Air Sprint) and I believe making $12k a month (after completing 3 years in the left seat) to fly a small business jet is in Canada is pretty darn good. Show me a company in this sector that pays equivalent or more for same size jet. It covers the inflation on the old pay scale +13% ish.

I think some of the whining on here is just envy. Most FOs with minimal work experience are not making $80-90k to start to sit right seat on a CJ-series jet, job security and get 10-12 days scheduled off. I'd rather be the highest paid CJ jet FO in Canada than the lowest paid 787 FO in the world at Air Canada. Hell I will make the appetizers myself for the customers for that kind of money. Ceviche anyone?

[Pratt X 3]

Is the PBS for rotation selection like 7/7 or 8/6 or is it just for booking vacation? Like can you go 8./6 one month and then 7/7 another?

PBS and the rotation schedule are two separate things. If you get on the rotation schedule, you no longer "bid" using PBS. Once awarded the rotation schedule, you stay on the same rotation for approximately 6 months until the next rotation "bid". You then either stay on the rotation you have, get awarded a different rotation, if requested, or go back to the PBS. So no, you can't switch from 8/6 one month to 7/7 the next.
PBS is only used to "bid" days off. Either specific dates or maybe you don't like working Tuesdays; those would be entered in the "bid" with a higher value assigned to try and get those off. Seniority helps but doesn't always work. You will probably end up with nothing that looks like what you requested. And you might have to waive the usual max days worked in order to get a good stretch of days off (i.e work 10-13 days straight in order to get more than 3-5 days off in a row).
Vacation booking is a separate bid, held twice a year, that covers the next 12 months. If not awarded through that process, vacation is requested ad hoc, at least a full PBS "bid" in advance. Seniority certainly helps, as some popular times (summer/Christmas) can quickly fill up and have no availability left over for ad hoc requests. The vacation slots are divided up between CJ2, CJ3 and Embraer as well as Captains and First Officers on each type (6 lists total).

[‘Bob’]

I think some of the whining on here is just envy. Most FOs with minimal work experience are not making $80-90k to start to sit right seat on a CJ-series jet, job security and get 10-12 days scheduled off. I'd rather be the highest paid small jet FO in Canada than the lowest paid heavy jet FO at Air Canada. Hell I will make the appetizers myself for the customers for that kind of money.

Nobody is envious of anyone at Air Sprint. That’s why they have to have a sticky to attract applicants in spite of “great pay” and a bond to keep you there.

Air Canada as bad as it pays to start is a better long term shot especially with the shakeups that will be coming with CBA and you don’t ever have to touch other people’s trash.

[LegoMan]

I think some of the whining on here is just envy. Most FOs with minimal work experience are not making $80-90k to start to sit right seat on a CJ-series jet, job security and get 10-12 days scheduled off. I'd rather be the highest paid small jet FO in Canada than the lowest paid heavy jet FO at Air Canada. Hell I will make the appetizers myself for the customers for that kind of money.

Nobody is envious of anyone at Air Sprint. That’s why they have to have a sticky to attract applicants in spite of “great pay” and a bond to keep you there.

Air Canada as bad as it pays to start is a better long term shot especially with the shakeups that will be coming with CBA and you don’t ever have to touch other people’s trash.

This comment stinks of arrogance and elitism. Air Canada makes sense if you are single in your 20s. With Air Sprint or just about any other carriers, I don't have to sacrifice much or sell my house to transition back into flying. Living with a family on YYZ, flying for our national carrier, I'd have to get a second job. That's pathetic.

I dont expect the CBA to show big improvement for FOs especially on the lower end. They will sacrifice them for higher wages on the top end because they can. Some people are just stuck on flying a plane with a big maple leaf on the tail.

[Ash Ketchum]

I think some of the whining on here is just envy. Most FOs with minimal work experience are not making $80-90k to start to sit right seat on a CJ-series jet, job security and get 10-12 days scheduled off. I'd rather be the highest paid small jet FO in Canada than the lowest paid heavy jet FO at Air Canada. Hell I will make the appetizers myself for the customers for that kind of money.

Nobody is envious of anyone at Air Sprint. That’s why they have to have a sticky to attract applicants in spite of “great pay” and a bond to keep you there.

Air Canada as bad as it pays to start is a better long term shot especially with the shakeups that will be coming with CBA and you don’t ever have to touch other people’s trash.

This comment stinks of arrogance and elitism. Air Canada makes sense if you are single in your 20s. With Air Sprint or just about any other carriers, I don't have to sacrifice much or sell my house to transition back into flying. Living with a family on YYZ, flying for our national carrier, I'd have to get a second job. That's pathetic.

I dont expect the CBA to show big improvement for FOs especially on the lower end. They will sacrifice them for higher wages on the top end because they can. Some people are just stuck on flying a plane with a big maple leaf on the tail.

The Air Sprint salaries look pretty solid compared to what airlines are paying. Have you hired any airline FOs recently?

[digits_]

I think some of the whining on here is just envy. Most FOs with minimal work experience are not making $80-90k to start to sit right seat on a CJ-series jet, job security and get 10-12 days scheduled off. I'd rather be the highest paid small jet FO in Canada than the lowest paid heavy jet FO at Air Canada. Hell I will make the appetizers myself for the customers for that kind of money.

Nobody is envious of anyone at Air Sprint. That’s why they have to have a sticky to attract applicants in spite of “great pay” and a bond to keep you there.

Air Canada as bad as it pays to start is a better long term shot especially with the shakeups that will be coming with CBA and you don’t ever have to touch other people’s trash.

This comment stinks of arrogance and elitism. Air Canada makes sense if you are single in your 20s. With Air Sprint or just about any other carriers, I don't have to sacrifice much or sell my house to transition back into flying. Living with a family on YYZ, flying for our national carrier, I'd have to get a second job. That's pathetic.

I dont expect the CBA to show big improvement for FOs especially on the lower end. They will sacrifice them for higher wages on the top end because they can. Some people are just stuck on flying a plane with a big maple leaf on the tail.

If you take all emotion out of it, at the end of the day, AC doesn't have a bond, and Air Sprint does. If they have it in place, it's probably because they think they need it.

Good jobs don't need bonds.