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.
This was a reason why I left. I told them that in my exit call.
5/4 is the biggest con going. Landed many times at between 1-4am in summer on to days off. First off day a write off. First time I called up asking if I get an extra day off or paid? They just laughed.
RYR the ones laughing.
I get around 2 days off less a month now however I feel so much fresher overall.
Of all the captains I flew with at RYR the only ones happy are captains that have only been at RYR and don’t know any different.
Even without overtime as an FO my salary is nearly 40% more than when I was at RYR.
We have an amazing swap system. Needed day off recently which I didnt ask for just tried to bid. I was working. No dramas. On to swaps and managed to get it off. Didn’t even have to ask the company. It’s amazing.
RYR getting a day off when you are on your working block is nigh on impossible.