Maat,
Which Jet2 do you work for?!
At Manchester, my roster is almost never changed and I've been near minimum rest only once this year.
Agreed about earlies after days off/lates before days off but surely that's what we would expect. However it would be useful if we didn't get this before and after leave. An 0630 report after coming back from holiday late the night before is a bit of a shock.
Re leave, if I want 9 days off I bid for 7 days leave with a Request Day Off on each end. So far it has always been approved and the RDO's guaranteed at the same time as the leave is announced. Okay, I then miss out on that month's two RDO's elsewhere, but that's my choice.
Usually when the roster comes out there's an extra day off at one or both ends of the leave which is useful if you have flexibility for your holiday. If you don't, then it's a day off wasted but it can take the pressure off a tight timescale.
Currently the Jet2 lifestyle is very acceptable, but I agree that it will change as the airline grows. Enjoy it while it lasts.........