Cruiser Pay

JZA · Post by **JZA** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 9:58 am

I'm sure this has been beaten to death but I am not clear on this....

Lets say a Jazzer goes to AC at the 3 year mark...

What pay can he/she expect? .... specifically .... is there an upside or downside to taking a cruise position as opposed to FO on the EMJ or 320.

Thanks.

Niodatchi · Post by **Niodatchi** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 2:19 pm

I am not at AC but from good sources, I can tell you that if you start as an f/o, you will be frozen at company discretion for 2 years(at the "B" scale salary as well) And if you take the relief position, it`s 3 years frozen at company discretion and of course on "B" salary scale. So the best option if you can choose, take the F/o position. But ,nowadays,they need so many pilots on the A-320,capt.EMB, that they will probably let you bid on other equipments fairly rapidly.If you have no other choice, the relief position will do fine but you will only be endorsed "above 10000 feet" on your licence. But its still a great experience, and you get to do over-seas right from the start. Enjoy! MajorKong

acpilot · Post by **acpilot** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 6:10 pm

Actually it is not true that you are frozen. Say you get checked out as a cruiser, then an equipment bid opens the next day. You are able, (and will be awarded) a higher rated position if your seniority allows you to hold it. There are no freezes associated with an up bid, ie you can bid for a higher position at any time. There are freezes for down bids, unless you are forced down/off due layoffs etc.
There are two truths to bidding at Air Canada,
- Bid what you want
- Want what you bid

This seems simple, but I am amazed at people who list a position, say A320 Capt with no qualifications, (Air Canada defines that as meaning you will take the position even if you are the bottom guy/gal) then are depressed about the shitty lifestyle for the next 5 years, due to being junior on equipment. Remember, WANT WHAT YOU BID, & be prepared to live with it. It is not smart to rationalize taking a position at the bottom because you will move up quickly in the next two years.
What if a merger, recession, new business plan etc happen the day after you are awarded a position? You could be bottom guy for quite a while, bid accordingly.

PeteThePilot · Post by **PeteThePilot** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 6:03 am

Thanks .. that is some great info. Was kinda wondering about RP myself.

Freighter · Post by **Freighter** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 6:50 am

Also, the flat pay for rp is only 2 years, not 3 any more, at least according to the ACPA guys...the collective agreement still shows a 3rd year of flat pay in the rp position.

Good luck

Lost in Saigon · Post by **Lost in Saigon** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 3:25 pm

RP flat pay is still 3 years but under the terms of the Position Group LOU, all PG pilots go on PG pay after 2 years.

3rd year PG pay is currently about $60/hr but, if you came from Jazz with up to 4 years credit, you could get level 7 pay in your 3rd year which is about $83/hr.