pilots – The News Desk

Worst is behind us, we have stabilised operations: Vistara CEO

11Apr

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Business

Worst is behind us, we have stabilised operations: Vistara CEO

NEW DELHI: "The worst is behind us and we have stabilised our operations," Vistara CEO Vinod Kannan said Thursday. The airline had seen severe flight disruptions at the start of the month due to reasons like inhumane rostering that pilots protested by reporting sick en masse. In an internal communication to employees, Kannan said: "(Reasons for disruptions seen recently included) ATC delays, bird hits, and maintenance activities...We were stretched in our pilot rosters and there was not enough resilience to withstand injects that we would otherwise have weathered. We could and should have planned better. This has been a learning experience for us..." Unlike the merger of AIX Connect (erstwhile AirAsia India) with Air India Express, which has been smooth as the former's employees realise t...

Spirit Airlines Will Delay Plane Purchases and Furlough Pilots

8Apr

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Travel

Spirit Airlines Will Delay Plane Purchases and Furlough Pilots

Spirit Airlines said on Monday that it would delay delivery of new Airbus planes and furlough pilots to save money as it seeks to overcome several setbacks, including a blocked merger, engine problems and a lackluster recovery from the pandemic.The budget airline said in a statement that the new steps would save the company $340 million over the next two years.Spirit has made several changes aimed at cutting costs and improving its financial position since a federal judge in January blocked its plan to merge with JetBlue Airways. The judge ruled that the proposed deal would harm consumers. Spirit and JetBlue gave up an effort to appeal that decision last month.Spirit plans to delay most of the Airbus planes it had expected to receive in 2025 and 2026 by about five years. It also said that...

Pilots Say Airline Was Dangerous To Work For

6Oct

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Business

Pilots Say Airline Was Dangerous To Work For

As a new commercial pilot, Nate Hilliard came to Southern Airways Express two years ago with no illusions. He knew the commuter airline’s starting pay for a first officer ― the co-pilot next to the captain ― was just $12 per hour, less than he could earn behind a fast-food counter. But he figured he would pay his dues, rack up flight time and someday sit in the captain’s seat, perhaps at a major carrier like Delta.He and his girlfriend moved from Denver to western Pennsylvania to be near the tiny airport where Hilliard would be based, prepared to burn through their savings in pursuit of his pilot dream. They called it their “year of suck.”“You slog through it and make it happen because you know there are better things on the other side,” the 39-year-old said.But as Hilliard’s experience i...

33 pilots, 97 cabin-crew members found drunk on duty in H1 of 2023: DGCA

17Sep

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Business

33 pilots, 97 cabin-crew members found drunk on duty in H1 of 2023: DGCA

Should a pilot or cabin-crew member fail the breath-analyzer test for the first time, their license will be suspended for a duration of 3 months, as per the rules In the first half of this year, 33 pilots and 97 cabin-crew members failed their compulsory alcohol tests, which are conducted either before or after flights, according to data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). In contrast, in the first half of 2022, the DGCA data recorded only 14 pilots and 54 cabin-crew members being identified as intoxicated while on duty. This data has been reviewed by Business Standard. As per the DGCA rules, pilots and cabin-crew members have to undergo pre-flight breath-analyzer tests. For pilots and cabin crew members operating flights from abroad to India...

Southern Airways Express Sues Former Pilots For Training Costs

3Aug

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Business

Southern Airways Express Sues Former Pilots For Training Costs

A commuter airline has filed 19 lawsuits against pilots who recently quit their jobs, suing them for thousands of dollars the airline says the pilots owe for training costs.The company, Florida-based Southern Airways Express, is trying to enforce a controversial employment clause that has recently gained national attention. Known as a “training repayment agreement provision,” the clauses stipulate that workers will pay the company a particular amount of money if they resign before they’ve worked there for a set amount of time.Employers who use such agreements say they help assure that workers won’t immediately quit for higher-paying jobs right after they receive valuable training. But critics of the agreements — including the Federal Trade Commission under President Joe Biden — say they c...