Originally Posted by
Captain Biggles 101
Personal opinion on this post taken from another thread, better answered in this thread:
In summer expect frequently commuting in on lates day 1, during early, yes early rush hour for late duty (9-10am report) 4 sector days, repeated delays, frequent disruption and discretion. Those early 'late' duties ensured you still worked all your duties that week as gradually your start times are later avoiding you going out of hours. That kind of roster manipulation doing often 18-20 flights at times over 5 days is like a pressure cooker. 5/4 is most certainly not attractive done like this, it's the biggest con ever. Expect that 5/4 to feel like 6/3 or worse for summer months. Fine in winter but hell on earth at times in summer. You report at the aircraft, so all those security queues and distant car parking and bus journeys are taken away from your minimum rest time.
There are no defined early/late report times so disruption to sleep/rest is common in summer, with unstable roster and working away from base commonplace. Expect in summer to at times work into day 6 (day 1 off) on lates landing 1-3am with delays, arriving home at times after 3-4am, totally destroying day 1 off.
This will be totally unpaid and forced upon you to complete regardless of day off plans. Then plan to be awake just after 3am for day 1 early (repeatedly over 5 or 6 days), then you start to see the reality. The truth is that this 5/4 roster as attractive as it sounds, is actually very fatiguing at times, and this is why crew are leaving in droves. Let's not go there with other issues of management and Covid support enjoyed by crew over the years.
For summer, plan on having little to no life at all apart from commuting and work, then you see the reality of 5/4. Then plan on day 1 off and late on day 4 off being a total wash out, hence 5/4 being in reality more like 6/3 in disguise in summer.
DAMN . If I went and saw my my AME now after reading your post I'd lose my medical and will to live, I've been with Ryanair for over 20+ years and the reason I have stayed is the fact that I do have a life away from work and a very good one too, Home is 30 minutes away and the 5/4 works very well for me, Tired at times YES but never fatigued.( Im guessing you have no idea what so ever what Fatigue is ,Ive had fatigue once after a serious illness and the Ryanair work schedule has never come close to that)