Spirit Furloughing

@woodreau really good info! How was the vibe, did it seem like something you’d want to be a part of?

The medical is also nothing to scoff at. WAY more thorough than the FAA one, and back when I did it, initials had to be completed at Aviation House in Gatwick. An all day affair that was a massive pain. Also there are answer to study for the exams but it was just guidelines, not verbatim like memorizing Gleims question bank.

Looking long-term, do you have the right to work in the UK? Like what would their plan be for you guys in the long term?
 
Skåning said:
@woodreau really good info! How was the vibe, did it seem like something you’d want to be a part of?

The medical is also nothing to scoff at. WAY more thorough than the FAA one, and back when I did it, initials had to be completed at Aviation House in Gatwick. An all day affair that was a massive pain. Also there are answer to study for the exams but it was just guidelines, not verbatim like memorizing Gleims question bank.

Looking long-term, do you have the right to work in the UK? Like what would their plan be for you guys in the long term?
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for me personally, my wife has indicated she is not interested in moving to the UK, so that makes it not as appealing. If she was coming over, then I think this would be a good way to end out a mid-life career-changer flying career after 30 years of flying. but with the wife not interested then most likely not. if i were single again/divorced, then yes i'd be interested in jumping on this. but for someone younger, youd have to be looking at the other aspects, as the pay is not coming anywhere near what a 320 captain gets at a US legacy.

The airline is sponsoring skilled worker visas for those and their immediate family who do not have a right to work in the UK or cannot get an Irish descent visa. They intend for you to stay as long as you want. and the option to work gaining on UK citizenship is available after 5-years. they weren't planning on forcing you out of the airline.

there is no training contract because the airline isn't issuing you a type rating.

For the Class I medical, they did say we would have to come to the UK and there was a place we could get our UK Class I medical done near the Luton airport.

if you are a current a320 captain, they are interested in you if you are interested.

They are planning pilot assessments/interviews later during the winter. if they can get a big enough group to interview in one place then theyll come over to the US to do the assessment. the assessment consists of several parts: (1) general company overview presentation ; (2) group session/team building exercises assessment; (3) technical interview / no HR interview (4) simulator evaluation - a LOFT type scenario assessing your CRM. you have to pass each part before proceeding to the next step. (i.e. if you dont pass the team building, then you dont go on to the technical interview...)

All of the flying is just 2-legs (sectors) a day. you work 5 days, and you're off for 4. back in London every day. no overnights - the 321XLRs do fly 4-day trips, but its rare to get a 4-day trip..

Take home after taxes/deductions the presenter said we can expect to gross £13,000/month - after taxes and national insurance assessment you'll net around £8,000 / month - definitely not the $25,000 take home that yellow captains get now.
 
woodreau said:
Well that was interesting, the potential interest pool was broken into small groups of 15 and of the group of 15 that were in the session today, all but two are current Spirit captains. several of them were way more senior than i was. i was around mid-pack from all of the names i recognized.

They just dont have the pilots, especially Captains for expansion. They just can't get qualified DECs because to bring a EASA pilot from the EU is the same process as bringing a TC or FAA pilot from Canada and the US.

The presenter seemed to poo-poo the 14 ATPL exams. he said that we already have an ATPL and 320 type rating with 320 PIC time and that we are not initial ATP applicants. You just "merely" need to score a "pass" / 75 on all 14 of the exams not the 99-100 that an initial ATP applicant needs that is looking for a frozen ATPL, and you "only just" need to memorize all of the answers you have experience and context unlike someone who has 250hrs who is taking the ATPL exams according to him.. I am skeptical of that, but we have 12 months to get the UK ATPL and until we get the UK ATPL, the airline is limited in what they can do with us.

They did want us current (flown an A320 within 12 months) because a current 320 type rated pilot could be put into their 6-week training program, do their 10-days of supervised flying / OE and then released to the line fairly quickly instead of someone who hasn't flown a 320 within the previous 12 months - non-current 320 type rated pilots would need to go through the full flight training program and so it appeared they weren't as interested in non-current pilots unless they couldn't get current pilots.

We would have to get the UK Class I medical on our own dime, but after getting the UK ATP it would be reimbursed.
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Seems like a lot of red flags, to me, but I understand you're in a tough spot. The ATPL stuff is no joke, even aiming for 75%.
 
woodreau said:
for me personally, my wife has indicated she is not interested in moving to the UK, so that makes it not as appealing. If she was coming over, then I think this would be a good way to end out a mid-life career-changer flying career after 30 years of flying. but with the wife not interested then most likely not. if i were single again/divorced, then yes i'd be interested in jumping on this. but for someone younger, youd have to be looking at the other aspects, as the pay is not coming anywhere near what a 320 captain gets at a US legacy.

The airline is sponsoring skilled worker visas for those and their immediate family who do not have a right to work in the UK or cannot get an Irish descent visa. They intend for you to stay as long as you want. and the option to work gaining on UK citizenship is available after 5-years. they weren't planning on forcing you out of the airline.

there is no training contract because the airline isn't issuing you a type rating.

For the Class I medical, they did say we would have to come to the UK and there was a place we could get our UK Class I medical done near the Luton airport.

if you are a current a320 captain, they are interested in you if you are interested.

They are planning pilot assessments/interviews later during the winter. if they can get a big enough group to interview in one place then theyll come over to the US to do the assessment. the assessment consists of several parts: (1) general company overview presentation ; (2) group session/team building exercises assessment; (3) technical interview / no HR interview (4) simulator evaluation - a LOFT type scenario assessing your CRM. you have to pass each part before proceeding to the next step. (i.e. if you dont pass the team building, then you dont go on to the technical interview...)

All of the flying is just 2-legs (sectors) a day. you work 5 days, and you're off for 4. back in London every day. no overnights - the 321XLRs do fly 4-day trips, but its rare to get a 4-day trip..

Take home after taxes/deductions the presenter said we can expect to gross £13,000/month - after taxes and national insurance assessment you'll net around £8,000 / month - definitely not the $25,000 take home that yellow captains get now.
Click to expand...
You're not interested in any of the US legacies? Aren't the legacies giving Spirit guys/gals first dibs? I hear second hand, that hiring is about to start ramping up big time for 26 & 27 time frame.
 
Sounds awesome to me. Something youd never get to, or allow yourself to, do otherwise. Not getting to overnight sucks as the whole point for me would be to get to experience cities beyond London, but otherwise its cool.
 
woodreau said:
The presenter seemed to poo-poo the 14 ATPL exams. he said that we already have an ATPL and 320 type rating with 320 PIC time and that we are not initial ATP applicants. You just "merely" need to score a "pass" / 75 on all 14 of the exams not the 99-100 that an initial ATP applicant needs that is looking for a frozen ATPL, and you "only just" need to memorize all of the answers you have experience and context unlike someone who has 250hrs who is taking the ATPL exams according to him.. I am skeptical of that, but we have 12 months to get the UK ATPL and until we get the UK ATPL, the airline is limited in what they can do with us.
Click to expand...

Everything I've heard about "writing" their silly exams, as well as their medicals, is that it is a "non-trivial" exercise.

Their sad devotion to those exams haven't helped them conjure up the stolen data tapes, or given them clairvoyance to find the hidden rebel fortress.
 
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