Good God you lot don't half whinge. I have to agree with what was said a couple of posts ago, If its that bad then you know where the door is.
Having been at GB a couple of years i'd say its a fantastic place to work, or atleast it is up North, (maybe thats where you're all going wrong).
Having worked for a well known charter outfit before making the leap (or rather being pushed), let me tell you, charter Ts+Cs really are not that good. If people want to make the leap over to the land of Orange then good for them, but i've got a quite a few mates over there who say its the worst move they ever made. So the pay is better, and you get a stable roster pattern, but god do they get bored of 6 Belfasts in a day, 4 days on the trot.
People whine about the move to Jubilee house, and losing the cushy parking, but to be brutally honest that was bound to happen sooner or later as the company expanded. We have to take the bus in MAN, (as most outfits do at most airports in the UK), and yeah so it can be pretty packed when the morning shift is clocking on, but it really isn't that bad. Much better in my opinion than getting to the company car park with 5 minutes to spare before report and finding out there aren't any parking spaces left.
Also my opinion on a few of Shaftspeares remarks,
14 1/2hr there and back duty days to remote and exotic Red Sea destinations (think UN mine clearing operations in AQJ!)
Yes its mine clearing not laying and people want to go there. And a 14 1/2 hour duty, well thats nearly 20% of your work for the month done in one day, (ok 2).
Damp leasing Excel 737 all next summer (effect on commands, product delivery?)
So yes it may have an effect on commands but atleast we're still trying to expand. Or would it have been better for us to keep OA on for the next 6 years, (as thats what the leasing company was offering) and have to keep paying more and more for the upkeep of said a/c. The other option was to lose an aircraft until the new 21 arrives and have to effectively downsize the operation, when the key to making money is expansion, (just look at Easy for one).
Food unfit for human consumption
As it is at most outfits these days. Silver service for the F/D is a thing of the past, and again believe me its better than some, and atleast we get something.
Profit related bonus a thing of the past
Surely the answer is in that sentence, if we don't make a profit then you don't get a bonus, not really that difficult to comprehend. And hence why the company is trying to cut costs on other fronts to keep us in the black.
Very unsociable hours (lates finishing at 0300L, earlies starting 0430L usually just after a late!!)
Welcome to land of charters, which is effectively what we'll be if BA cut us loose. And if you think thats bad, well try going to work at 7 in the evening, doing two 5 hour sectors and getting back in your car at 8 the following morning, because thats what most charter outfits do.
Anyway, enough of a rant, as i said before, if you don't like it here then you know where the door is. At the end of the day GB is a company, and as such to survive has to make money. Contrary to many people's belief they aren't there to pay us and let us do what we want.
Seymour, yes only one got command in 6 months, but another wasn't far behind, 7 or 8 months i think, and its not that they were prepared to come to MAN, they were both based here as F/Os and still want to be. Must be the cushy number we have up here. Personally, i've worked my nuts off over the summer which is pretty obvious by my hours for the year, and i'm quite enjoying only working 5 days in Nov and 9 in Dec, give me the long flights anyday.
Don't get me wrong, there are many things which I would like improving in the T+Cs within the company, and i would never begrudge anyone who doesn't like it here and wants to move on, each to their own, but just remember, every company has its good and bad points.
Just one final thought for those thinking of moving on to pastures new,
THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER