Originally Posted by
BaronVonBarnstormer
I've been hearing that summers can be pretty brutal at Jet2; rolling 5 or 6 days on with 2 off. Lots of 4am landing back in base and little in the way of stability or roster protection. Can anyone confirm or deny? Specifically for the Airbus fleet but I understand the ramp up in deliveries probably won't have produced a "full" summer yet. Again this is what I've been told and I've been in the industry long enough to know that perception and reality are not always the same thing. A PM with a RHS roster would also be great if anyone is willing.
You won't get a representative RHS roster as there aren't enough Airbus in the fleet yet and it's overcrewed pending deliveries. From a 737 perspective, summers are busy in both seats. It's definitely not a 'rolling' 5 or 6 on with 2 off, you might have a '5 - 2' in a month but then it would be followed by something random like 3 on 3 off then 4 on 2 off. There's no predictability in that sense. You will get very late landings at the bigger bases such as MAN / STN, as the second wave is scheduled 2-3am but always at least an hour or so late. However, a 4am landing will get you a duty rest period the day after. Yes, summer is disruptive (June to September anyway) but outside of this things are fairly stable, but this is the holiday market in the UK. Winter will be quiet apart from an upsurge in December.
If you like your fixed pattern then LowCost airlines are the way to go. If you prefer the happy upbeat atmosphere of a holiday company with busy summers and quiet winters then Jet2 or TUI will suit you better. But you WILL work hard for it in the peak months.