This is a slightly bizarre thread - it is a bit like asking people who have a choice between being surgeons or advertising executives which they would rate more highly. There is not really a right or wrong answer - it is personal preference. You could not get 2 greater extremes of aviation than easyJet or Cathay and it is not really wise to compare them. They both have huge attractions and significant disadvantages.
At the risk of disagreeing with some of my esteemed colleagues, I personally do see easyJet as a career airline. The comments made about easyJet being a place to pass through on the way to a 'proper job' and so forth are increasingly incorrect. EasyJet is for many people an end in itself - at this stage I am one of those people. As long as David Cameron does not destroy short haul civil aviation as his first act in power, then easyJet is probably one of the safest airlines in the industry in terms of likely security of employment. Like everyone else, I always read the back of Flight International every week before I read the front. I take great interest in the employment market, and I have yet to find a single airline that makes me want to jump ship. I fly great aircraft, fly to a huge range of destinations, work with some great people, earn a lot of money, have fixed pattern rostering and come home to my wife and children every night. Why would I wish to leave? There are a solid 10% of easyJet pilots, captains in particular, who loathe it - but there are a whole lot of people who do not. If I am truly honest, those who hate easyJet are the same people who hated BA, Cathay or whoever when they worked there. Are there frustrations? Of course - dismal ground handling every single day of my working life at Gatwick and having to park your car miles from where you work are two of them!
On balance easyJet, while not being everyone's cup of tea, has much to commend it. I can only speak for myself and say that I enjoy what I do and am not looking anywhere for another job.
Last edited by Norman Stanley Fletcher; 23rd September 2006 at 15:15.