Post: #1

Airline Operations [Good money, flexible hours, flight discounts]

I got asked to do a datasheet on working for airline ops – a gig that gives you flexible hours, and amazing travel discounts.

I don’t work in this industry, but my cousin does as well as a few friends. This applies to Ops in general, but more specifically; flight dispatch and crew scheduling. This also applies to Canada, but from what she said it’s similar to the US.
I won’t go over exactly every subject you need to know, but this is the general path to working in Operations. Flight Dispatch/Crew Scheduling pay the most, but there are jobs where you won’t need either of these exams/courses. It’s really up to you.


Time line:

From buying the studying material, to doing all of the required certification, you’re looking at a couple of months, and a couple hundred bucks.


1. Flight Dispatch Course, - $3,600: You can take this course at any local university or college, and lasts a total of two-weeks. It’s an 80-hour two-week program designed to prepare you for a career as a flight dispatcher. The program covers a lot of topics; Weather, Canadian Air Regulations, Airspace, Publications, VFR, IFR Operations, Principles of Flight etc. This course is designed to prepare you for step two. There are two-tests during this course, which aren’t exceptionally difficult
but do require you to put the work in and study.

a. Normally the school provides you with the material, so you don’t need to buy your own books. However, the books you’ll need are: Air Command Weather Manual, From the Ground Up (New Edition) and a study guide with questions.

2. Transport Canada Dispatcher License Exam (Two-Parts): This exam is separated into two parts – one with 80 questions, another with 100. You’re given 3.5 hours for each part, and need a 70% to pass.

a. Examination one: Theory of Flight
b. Examination two: Meteorology
c. Recommended study time: 8-10 hours.

More information on the dispatcher licence exam - https://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/civilaviation/p...u-1320.htm

3. After you’ve passed the Flight Dispatch course, and the Dispatcher License Exam, you have all of the qualifications you’ll need to get a job at an Airline in the operations department. You’ll need to attend career fairs, and send out a lot of resumes. It’s really a numbers game, so be relentless. Airlines are always hiring, so you’ll find a job. In Canada, I've heard that Air Georgian is constantly looking to expand, and are always hiring new ops staff.

4. Once you finally get a job, you’ll likely start in Crew Scheduling. Eventually, you’ll (if you want) move up to Flight Dispatch, where you’ll see a nice pay jump.


Remember: Union benefits (flight discounts, hotel discounts) kick in around the 4-6 month mark. You can put five people on your ‘list’. What this means is that you get yourself, your significant other (if you have one), and three others who can receive buddy passes (up to ten per year).


Standby:

If you’ve never flown standby before, here’s how it essentially works. You book a flight using your discounts on the employee website for dirt-cheap. You arrive at the airport, check-in and you’re given a ticket with ‘SBY’ on it.

Now, some airports will give you a ticket right at the check-in gate, whereas others will wait until the boarding gate. If it’s the latter, they’ll call you up once boarding begins and let you pick your seat.

I’ve been using these flight discounts for years, and have never been unable to get on a flight, but I’ve heard stories of people being stuck places because of their standby tickets. However, the benefit of these discounts is that they apply to European, South American, and pretty much any airline. So if your Air Canada flight in Europe is cancelled, just hop on the next KLM, LOT or Lufthansa flight - the options are endless, and it's actually quite fun planning everything out trying to figure out what works and what doesn't.

You also tend to get seated with other solo-flyers, so conversation flow naturally and you can meet some pretty interesting people.

Working in an airline, based on the stores I’ve heard is great. You’re working with fellow traveling enthusiasts who love talking about travel. You’ll learn about some pretty interesting spots to visit as well, since most of the people you’ll be working with will have seen more countries than you.

Hope this helps!

Post: #2

Thanks man! This is gold! What's the pay like?

Post: #3

(01-18-2016 11:02 PM)Wayout Wrote:  Thanks man! This is gold! What's the pay like?

For crew scheduling you're looking at $45,000~ starting out, and if somehow you start in Flight Dispatch which is a bit more rare, but possible, it's around $55,000.

Obviously these numbers depend on which airline, but they're general figures.