Thank you Skyflyer. Someone who is actually reading what I am putting as the thoughts that i actually have.
I do not calim my opinions or experiences to be difinative, just as mucha s you dont claim yours are.
I go to your point about EI not reducing your sallery if they pay for your type rating. I dont know about this, but what you are saying is that a guy turns up with a type rating on the aircraft will be paid the same amount as a guy who turns up without one and EI pay for it. If anything, that situation doesnt seem fair. And to that end, do you know how many zero hour pilots EI took last year and paid for their type ratings and then paid the same amount in sallery to as the currently working FO's?
FR taking a kick-back on the fees for training costs - I think everyone knows that FR are a money making machine, and that most likely does happen. Still doesnt defer from the fact that £18000 for a type rating, base check, and line training is cheaper then you will pay anywhere else should you go along the self sponsored route.
I am starting to wonder to myself that if you are so unhappy at Ryanair, why are you still there. They arent paying you enough, they arent treating you well enough, they are working you to hard. Why have you not gone to another airline?
And getting to my main point of "go on strike" and "leave the company in the hole". How do you think they make 300 million Euro per year........PILOTS fly their aeroplanes. I think its a fairly simple calculation to work out.
No pilots = No flights = No money
Strike action works and no one can say it doesnt. Look at BA. They go on strike and get what they want. TFL only have to suggest a strike and look what happens. Tube drivers are on better pay then pilots!!
You only need unity. Not so much a union, but the fact that EVERYONE decides to take action at the same time on the same day along the same lines.
How can you possibley say that a contract doesnt mean anything. A contract is a set of guidlines. There is always room to move between guidlines. Thats why FR get away with so much. The contracts dont say they cant do something, but like wise, they also dont say they can do something. I am not saying that what FR do is correct, or to the benifit of its pilots. They are in the bussiness of making money, and to be quite frank, they are bloody good at it.
My views quite obviously are not the same as everyone else's views, but I know I cant be the only one that is happy to be employed by Ryanair........