2024 GS Schedule?

[PittBoss]

Any got invited for 2024 GS? Or any news on GS schedule?

[truecolours]

Hiring will slow in 2024. According to our ceo there is no longer a gap in pilot staffing requirements. Job posting has been taken down as well.

[canadian_aviator_4]

Hiring will slow in 2024. According to our ceo there is no longer a gap in pilot staffing requirements. Job posting has been taken down as well.

I would imagine once Air Canada gets their new contract, westjet will once again be bleeding pilots and will need to hire to maintain staffing levels.

[cdnavater]

Hiring will slow in 2024. According to our ceo there is no longer a gap in pilot staffing requirements. Job posting has been taken down as well.

I would imagine once Air Canada gets their new contract, westjet will once again be bleeding pilots and will need to hire to maintain staffing levels.

You’re assuming the AC hiring train will continue, you will start to hear rumblings about about no ground schools for a couple months to assess, part of this will be a negotiating tactic but it will also be due to reality.
If your(WJ) CEO is saying you are staffed up, there is no growth planned, if times are good there is always growth planned.
If WJ were still negotiating I would be less concerned but an announcement like this will also signal to the Encore group that they are stuck there, that should help the Porter application pile even further.
If anyone is looking for a sign from a major, this is definitely one!

[rudder]

Hiring will slow in 2024. According to our ceo there is no longer a gap in pilot staffing requirements. Job posting has been taken down as well.

I would imagine once Air Canada gets their new contract, westjet will once again be bleeding pilots and will need to hire to maintain staffing levels.

You’re assuming the AC hiring train will continue, you will start to hear rumblings about about no ground schools for a couple months to assess, part of this will be a negotiating tactic but it will also be due to reality.
If your(WJ) CEO is saying you are staffed up, there is no growth planned, if times are good there is always growth planned.
If WJ were still negotiating I would be less concerned but an announcement like this will also signal to the Encore group that they are stuck there, that should help the Porter application pile even further.
If anyone is looking for a sign from a major, this is definitely one!

The US is just starting to slow down with hiring projections for 2024.

Has less to do with a recession and more to do with surplus capacity.

[cdnavater]

I would imagine once Air Canada gets their new contract, westjet will once again be bleeding pilots and will need to hire to maintain staffing levels.

You’re assuming the AC hiring train will continue, you will start to hear rumblings about about no ground schools for a couple months to assess, part of this will be a negotiating tactic but it will also be due to reality.
If your(WJ) CEO is saying you are staffed up, there is no growth planned, if times are good there is always growth planned.
If WJ were still negotiating I would be less concerned but an announcement like this will also signal to the Encore group that they are stuck there, that should help the Porter application pile even further.
If anyone is looking for a sign from a major, this is definitely one!

The US is just starting to slow down with hiring projections for 2024.

Has less to do with a recession and more to do with surplus capacity.

I’m curious, is the surplus capacity due to future bookings slowing more than anticipated, which would signal problems. Airlines use many tools to predict future demand and base their capacity on the predictions, if they feel they need to slow down because of a surplus in capacity, well it definitely looks like the growth phase is coming to and end.

[aboveclouds]

Can anyone in the hiring pool expect to receive a ground school date for sometime in January 2024 then? Or is the hiring pool not going to be even looked at for next year?

[dontcallmeshirley]

If WJ were still negotiating I would be less concerned but an announcement like this will also signal to the Encore group that they are stuck there, that should help the Porter application pile even further.

Alexis has shown that he will stir the pot to cause pilots to panic in order to assist the company bargaining.

The only reason why they is "no longer a gap in pilot staffing" is because Sunwing has an excess of pilots for the number of aircraft they fly. It's a short term relief, but does not spell the end of flow for Encore pilots.

At the end of the day, a WR strike would not cause the same media storm that a potential WS strike did, but it would still cause tens of thousands of dollars per day, if not more, of losses. The ALPA pilots who are bargaining for WR are well aware that the ball is in their court and they are also directly affected by any reduction of flow. They have shown time and time again that they will put the pilot group ahead of themselves and I have the utmost confidence in them.

Additionally, I would expect the mainline union to suggest to their pilots not to pick up OT to help out in the event of a WR strike as the WR pilots committed to in May.

[cdnavater]

If WJ were still negotiating I would be less concerned but an announcement like this will also signal to the Encore group that they are stuck there, that should help the Porter application pile even further.

Alexis has shown that he will stir the pot to cause pilots to panic in order to assist the company bargaining.

The only reason why they is "no longer a gap in pilot staffing" is because Sunwing has an excess of pilots for the number of aircraft they fly. It's a short term relief, but does not spell the end of flow for Encore pilots.

At the end of the day, a WR strike would not cause the same media storm that a potential WS strike did, but it would still cause tens of thousands of dollars per day, if not more, of losses. The ALPA pilots who are bargaining for WR are well aware that the ball is in their court and they are also directly affected by any reduction of flow. They have shown time and time again that they will put the pilot group ahead of themselves and I have the utmost confidence in them.

Additionally, I would expect the mainline union to suggest to their pilots not to pick up OT to help out in the event of a WR strike as the WR pilots committed to in May.

I have no doubt the CEO will say things to stir the pot, the proof will be in the ground schools that happen or don’t happen.
One thing, the WJ union can’t suggest anything remotely close to job action, they can say things like “we need to stand with our colleagues “ but even that could be construed as job action especially if OT subscription suddenly dries up.
I wish you guys luck, the increases need to keep piling up for all of us!

[canadian_aviator_4]

Flow programs are never a sure thing. Look what has happened in the US as well with Air Canada and jazz. The company will always do what is in their best interest: If westjet is struggling to keep encore staffed, reducing or temporarily stopping flow could be an option to maintain the operation.

Also, I don’t believe the union can tell employees directly to not pick up overtime.

[PittBoss]

Can anyone in the hiring pool expect to receive a ground school date for sometime in January 2024 then? Or is the hiring pool not going to be even looked at for next year?

Same question

[co-joe]

Hiring will slow in 2024. According to our ceo there is no longer a gap in pilot staffing requirements. Job posting has been taken down as well.

I would imagine once Air Canada gets their new contract, westjet will once again be bleeding pilots and will need to hire to maintain staffing levels.

Or AC management will lock their pilots out in the cold of February, rather than let ALPA dictate the possible strike date in the spring busy season like WS pilots did. Either way WS will need more pilots.

[canadian_aviator_4]

Hiring will slow in 2024. According to our ceo there is no longer a gap in pilot staffing requirements. Job posting has been taken down as well.

I would imagine once Air Canada gets their new contract, westjet will once again be bleeding pilots and will need to hire to maintain staffing levels.

Or AC management will lock their pilots out in the cold of February, rather than let ALPA dictate the possible strike date in the spring busy season like WS pilots did. Either way WS will need more pilots.

Or that

[TheLastonetoknow]

Hiring will slow in 2024. According to our ceo there is no longer a gap in pilot staffing requirements. Job posting has been taken down as well.

I would imagine once Air Canada gets their new contract, westjet will once again be bleeding pilots and will need to hire to maintain staffing levels.

A stepping stone establishment WJ definitely is…

[lostaviator]

I guess we now know what the plan is for the 80+ deliveries he keeps talking about. They are for fleet replacement not fleet growth.

[Oleo 4]

I beg to differ gentlemen!

With improvements on CA2 and the continual evolution of the relationship between the different floors and association, WestJet is no longer a stepping stone company. I have been cynical in the past myself, however like it or not for the first time in a while we have a clear direction given by our Xcom that can be measured while implemented. Say what you will about the our CEO/COO, a prerequisite for those positions as with any leadership position is thicker skin. I've flown with many new hire FO's pre and post CA2, and all are happier post CA2. Ground schools continue to be +16-20 pilots well into December of this year. I don't have any insight on the new year, however an obvious piece that the different floors would have to consider is the addition of near 500 Sunwing pilots onto the association(s) agreed merger list. With that comes addition of aircraft (numbers not clear yet), most likely new bases (current Sunwing maybe). Lots of unanswered questions that will be answered shortly I'm sure with a Xcom imposed deadline of October 2024.

Additional tails on the order book never mean a complete net gain of A/C. As aircraft cycle and near C and D checks with aging liveries their has to be a cost benefit to continue a lease or ownership of a frame. I flew tail 001 in its last week of service for WestJet pre pandemic, that aircraft cycled out and was retired without a single MEL applied to it. The costs outweighed the expensive checks required to keep that frame in the air. I'm sure with our order book we will see a net gain in aircraft over time, some will be used to replace an aging fleet, and some will be used to respond to market demands at time of delivery. With the second month of a flat GDP just recorded in Canada, airlines must be nimble enough to not tie capital into contracts that aren't responsive to the current economy while planning for future 'growth.'

For some colour to the conversation - October alone provided 90 upgrades to WestJet and over 200 pilot movements with the addition of YWG and YEG base staffing. New hire pilots now out of the gate can be based in their preference. Some chose other bases to minimize reserve length or commuting issues. Also the time required for a junior CA to now be western based has reduced dramatically. Peak upgrade times during the pandemic went from 8-10 years. That number now also is coming down as retirements occur and other pilots move into different bases. The bypass ratio of FO's who chose to not commute out to YYZ is also reducing as more western based opportunities now exist. Our junior CA base continues to still be YYZ.

Just a line guy, and some of my observations!

O

[truecolours]

I beg to differ gentlemen!

With improvements on CA2 and the continual evolution of the relationship between the different floors and association, WestJet is no longer a stepping stone company. I have been cynical in the past myself, however like it or not for the first time in a while we have a clear direction given by our Xcom that can be measured while implemented. Say what you will about the our CEO/COO, a prerequisite for those positions as with any leadership position is thicker skin. I've flown with many new hire FO's pre and post CA2, and all are happier post CA2. Ground schools continue to be +16-20 pilots well into December of this year. I don't have any insight on the new year, however an obvious piece that the different floors would have to consider is the addition of near 500 Sunwing pilots onto the association(s) agreed merger list. With that comes addition of aircraft (numbers not clear yet), most likely new bases (current Sunwing maybe). Lots of unanswered questions that will be answered shortly I'm sure with a Xcom imposed deadline of October 2024.

Additional tails on the order book never mean a complete net gain of A/C. As aircraft cycle and near C and D checks with aging liveries their has to be a cost benefit to continue a lease or ownership of a frame. I flew tail 001 in its last week of service for WestJet pre pandemic, that aircraft cycled out and was retired without a single MEL applied to it. The costs outweighed the expensive checks required to keep that frame in the air. I'm sure with our order book we will see a net gain in aircraft over time, some will be used to replace an aging fleet, and some will be used to respond to market demands at time of delivery. With the second month of a flat GDP just recorded in Canada, airlines must be nimble enough to not tie capital into contracts that aren't responsive to the current economy while planning for future 'growth.'

For some colour to the conversation - October alone provided 90 upgrades to WestJet and over 200 pilot movements with the addition of YWG and YEG base staffing. New hire pilots now out of the gate can be based in their preference. Some chose other bases to minimize reserve length or commuting issues. Also the time required for a junior CA to now be western based has reduced dramatically. Peak upgrade times during the pandemic went from 8-10 years. That number now also is coming down as retirements occur and other pilots move into different bases. The bypass ratio of FO's who chose to not commute out to YYZ is also reducing as more western based opportunities now exist. Our junior CA base continues to still be YYZ.

Just a line guy, and some of my observations!

O

I don’t think you can use October to support a growth narrative. October was a rebalancing of out of seniority Swoop positions, and building a few bases up at the expense of others.

The brakes will be tapped here for the next few quarters and we will have to wait and see how line sentiment changes. It’s easy to be happy when bid results are multiple page long and your cheque is bigger, but that euphoria can wear off quite fast with a merger, economic slow down, and company violating scope (still).

[rudder]

The market is placing bets on the economy and the impact that the economy will have on the airline industry.

Not much positive out there. Costs are going up in a an economy that is definitely starting to run out of steam. How much personal disposable income will there be in 2024? What will be the business sector travel activity level?

Not doom and gloom. But the bottom lines are going to start to show stress.

[Benwa]

The most Junior base is YWG as of the January/February bid award.

[CaptDukeNukem]

The most Junior base is YWG as of the January/February bid award.

Cheap housing. I’d commute from Toronto to there. Basically the same drive/flight time. A drive anywhere in the GTA to Pearson is roughly 1.5.

Manage the crappy winter months as best as possible, Senior on the list in no time. Winner winner, chicken dinner.