Dhl

[Scarabus]

Does anyone know the process for getting on at DHL? I checked out their web site and could not find any info for pilots. Thanks

 

[erichartmann]

Job info for DHL

DHL Americas doesn't employ pilots. The freight is hauled by ACMI carriers becasue DHL is a foreign based corporation and cannot own a U.S. air carrier. The 2 largest are ABX Air, and Astar Air Cargo. ABX is not currently hiring. I don't know about Astar.

 

[frmrBUFFdrvr]

The planes in DHL colors are Astar.

 

[erichartmann]

The planes in DHL colors are Astar.

Nope!

ABX has at least as many if not more aircraft painted in DHL colors as Astar.

ABX operates DC-9's DC-8-63's and B767-200's. Astar operates 727's A-300's and DC-8-70's.

All of Astars roughly 40 aircraft fleet is in DHL livery with the exception of 1 DC-8 (I think). Not all of ABX's aircraft are. Some are still painted in the old Airborne Express livery, a few in the new ABX livery and the rest in DHL colors. I'm not sure what the exact breakdown is.

 

[frmrBUFFdrvr]

I stand corrected.:blush:

 

[B747FR8DAWG]

Nope!

ABX has at least as many if not more aircraft painted in DHL colors as Astar.

ABX operates DC-9's DC-8-63's and B767-200's. Astar operates 727's A-300's and DC-8-70's.

All of Astars roughly 40 aircraft fleet is in DHL livery with the exception of 1 DC-8 (I think). Not all of ABX's aircraft are. Some are still painted in the old Airborne Express livery, a few in the new ABX livery and the rest in DHL colors. I'm not sure what the exact breakdown is.

I'm so confused :erm:

 

[mcjohn]

Interesting. I just hung out with a guy at a cookout who said he flys for DHL. He didn't mention those other companies and said he's over seas a lot. He said he's flown for DHL for 14 years.

 

[cheyflyer]

Interesting. I just hung out with a guy at a cookout who said he flys for DHL. He didn't mention those other companies and said he's over seas a lot. He said he's flown for DHL for 14 years.

Sometimes its just easier that way. Eliminates a lot of explaining.

 

[LarryinTN]

Interesting. I just hung out with a guy at a cookout who said he flys for DHL. He didn't mention those other companies and said he's over seas a lot. He said he's flown for DHL for 14 years.

Probably an Astar guy. They were "DHL Airways" prior to being spun off and renamed Astar.

 

[2LT]

Job links...

ABX: https://www.abxair.com/flightweb/unsecured_pages/pilot_hiring.htm

Astar: http://www.astaraircargo.us/about/careers.html

 

[erichartmann]

Interesting. I just hung out with a guy at a cookout who said he flys for DHL. He didn't mention those other companies and said he's over seas a lot. He said he's flown for DHL for 14 years.

A lot of the Astar guys don't seem to have fully realized or accepted the fact that they are now an ACMI carrier and no longer work for DHL directly. I had one on my jump seat a while back who said "my jet says DHL on the side, I'm hauling DHL freight, my callsign is DHL, the only thing different is the name on the paycheck". Duh!!!

ABX Air was the wholly owned subsidary of Airborne prior to Airborne selling itself to DHL. Since DHL cannot own a U.S. aircarrier we were spun off, just as was DHL Airways when DHL, formally a U.S. based corporation, became a foreign based corporation. The name (DHL Airways) was subsequently changed to Astar Air Cargo when John Dasburg and his investment partners bought the company. DHL is now wholly owned by Deutshe Post, the German post office.

 

[UM#1]

A lot of the Astar guys don't seem to have fully realized or accepted the fact that they are now an ACMI carrier and no longer work for DHL directly. I had one on my jump seat a while back who said "my jet says DHL on the side, I'm hauling DHL freight, my callsign is DHL, the only thing different is the name on the paycheck". Duh!!!

Eric,
Well Im not sure what his intentions were by saying that since you left out the rest of the conversation you had with him, but it's not that Astar pilots think we are still employeed by DHL directly it's the fact that DHL runs the show at Astar. Granted we are an ACMI by definition but DHL is our one and only customer.Our management is somewhat a filter for DHL to tell us what and when to do something. As a pilot group we have realized this and we are even dealing with DHL directly. Especially on the scope side with the recent ruling that DHL violated our scope. But besides that our Management has an advantage in dealing with DHL since we are a private company. Nothing has to be reported in press releases or the like. The plain fact is we wouldn't be around if DHL decided not to give us business. We don't do any charter or non-dhl flying like you guys do.

 

[AV8OR]

For cryin out loud. Here we go again.

The guy you were talking to was AStar. How do I know? If he's flyin overseas, that's us. The fact of the matter it is easier to just tell folks you fly for DHL, and...it's true. DHL even signed our contract. If an ABX guy say's they fly for DHL it's true as well. No problem. I'll tell ya who we DON'T fly for .....Airborne Express. Sadly, Airborne Express is no more.

As for the AStar guy mouthing off on the JS....totally unacceptable. I can honestly say that I have experienced only courteous professionalism on our JS's from ABX folks and I'm sorry you had to listen to that jacka$$.

If you want to fly for DHL, apply to both and see what happens. Hopefully you'll be good either way.

 

[erichartmann]

Eric,
Well Im not sure what his intentions were by saying that since you left out the rest of the conversation you had with him, but it's not that Astar pilots think we are still employeed by DHL directly it's the fact that DHL runs the show at Astar. Granted we are an ACMI by definition but DHL is our one and only customer.Our management is somewhat a filter for DHL to tell us what and when to do something. As a pilot group we have realized this and we are even dealing with DHL directly. Especially on the scope side with the recent ruling that DHL violated our scope. But besides that our Management has an advantage in dealing with DHL since we are a private company. Nothing has to be reported in press releases or the like. The plain fact is we wouldn't be around if DHL decided not to give us business. We don't do any charter or non-dhl flying like you guys do.

The conversation was about hauling freight for DHL and being an ACMI carrier for them. The gist of his remarks was summed up by that one statement. I was struck by the fact that he seemed unwilling or unable to acknowledge that from a legal standpoint his employer was Astar, not DHL.

Although our non-DHL flying figures prominantly in our financial results it is a small portion of our actual flying. I'm not sure the airline would survive without the DHL business, at least for now. ABX management is intent on making the company less dependant on DHL for it's survival. Personally I have somewhat mixed emotions about this course of action. On the one hand I think it very good idea. On the other, I rather suspect it annoys the Germans.

 

[erichartmann]

For cryin out loud. Here we go again.

The guy you were talking to was AStar. How do I know? If he's flyin overseas, that's us. The fact of the matter it is easier to just tell folks you fly for DHL, and...it's true. DHL even signed our contract. If an ABX guy say's they fly for DHL it's true as well. No problem. I'll tell ya who we DON'T fly for .....Airborne Express. Sadly, Airborne Express is no more.

As for the AStar guy mouthing off on the JS....totally unacceptable. I can honestly say that I have experienced only courteous professionalism on our JS's from ABX folks and I'm sorry you had to listen to that jacka$$.

If you want to fly for DHL, apply to both and see what happens. Hopefully you'll be good either way.

Actually the conversation was cordial. I was simply struck by his "I work for DHL attitude" that ignored the legal reality.

I, in response to the "who do you fly for?" question, generally reply, "It's actually a bit more complicated than this, but the short answer is DHL." If they want to know more, they ask. If not, that portion of the conversation is over.

Sorry to be so pendantic about the situation, but I believe the legal realities are important. Neither of the two largest carriers operating in the U.S. for DHL are actually DHL. Both are ACMI carriers. Both management teams, to one degree or another, get their marching orders from DHL (i.e. what cities we fly to etc.).

As AV8OR says, take your pick. ABX is not currently hiring. That said, my personal reading of the tea leaves suggests that will change in the near future, perhaps late this year or sometime next year. We recently aquired 12 Delta 767's which are in the process of being modified to freighters. Some of them are already on line. Once all of them are on line we will be operating 37 767's, around 55 - 60 DC-9's and a few DC-8's. Rumors abound about additional purchases. The company is actively looking, but I don't know if any deals have been made. I am fairly sure more will be coming, but the bottleneck will the be conversion process. There are only 3 shops doing them, and it takes about 60 days per airframe.