Max N.S. & Big T.
Thanks for the comments, and I take your points. The good thing is that a "thinking man's" debate is taking place. All this mish mash of rolling a dice and thinkng of some numbers to design a roster pattern is really lacking in imagination. Trying to squeeze a schedule into some random sequence is the tail wagging the dog. It's an "off the peg, one size fits all" solution. Bespoke tailoring always works; always allowing some spare cloth for later in life adjustments.
I hear comments about LPL & EDI and other bases liking 5/4/5/2, or that some bases have shcedules that do not allow this or that pattern.
WHY SHOULD ALL BASES HAVE THE SAME ROSTER PATTERN?
They have different schedules, so why not let each base have a tailored pattern? Why not let each base have its own rosterer at the base? It would take someone one day to make a roster for a base. Why have a centralised rosterer? LoCo's, and ej in particular, claim to have revolutionised the industry, but they are total dinosaurs when it comes to man managemenet, and that to most of us means rostering.
My suggestion about flexi days was not that they could be used in tandem; only one of the days off could be flexible, thus retaining a minimum of 3 days off. Further, this use of 'flexi-days' would be restricted to e.g. only once in a monthly roster period.
If 2 earlies 2 lates infriges the 3 consecutive 'night' rules that is not such a big problem. The 3rd or 4th duty could easily be adjusted to accommodate that rule.
As for the 18-30 rule; as you say it s a guide line. If the 3rd or 4th duty was adjusted to avoid the 4 night slots, this could also be respected. There will need to be some SBY's sometime during the month, and these will assist in obeying these rules.
The major problem with a fixed roster pattern of any sort is the attitude of the rosterer. They will roster days off and not duty days. Duty will just be used to fill in the gaps. Been there, done it. Life becomes very frustrating, inflexible and inefficient. Ultimately, with inefficient use of crews it must cost the company. It really is a LOSE LOSE.
Again! Think outside the box and don't just accept some tinkering. Be radical. And please don't fall into the trap of thinking 5/3/5/3/ is great and therefore 5/4/5/2 must be better. It is not true, but it will take years to change it once introduced. A little more time spent considering now, will reap massive rewards for long to come.
Remember there should be a SPIRIT included in any schedule. The battle seems to be how close the company can keep you to maximium and how many concessions you can achieve to keep from the edges. Is that really the best you can do???
This is not just about ej, but all airlines. The whole industry's in a mess. Each airline looking at each other's agreements and trying a little carrot here & there. It's rather like ticket pricing. A couple of euros cheaper will entice the pax; an extra day off per month will allow X to say it has a better roster than Y. BunKum.