Hi all,
As manouche said, TNT is a very good place if you want to be home and you live near Liège. If you commute it's another story.
According to me :
Pros :
- Lot of time off (13 days off + about 5-7 days a month between flights)
- Company expending (lot of promotions and biddings)
- Reliable business (You are sure to be paid every month)
- Good belgian salarys (But well below european market due to taxes)
- Very quick upgrade
Cons :
- Night flight 90% of the time (report at 0300 LT)
- Roster changing everyday while on duty. Plan nothing while on duty days as anything can happen.
- Taxes in Belgium (remove 50-60% from gross for the captains)
- A bit outdated aircrafts (except the 747's which are brand new) so quite bad rating to have on licence (A300, BAe 146)
- Very long nights of duty (12 hours by night is really long and difficult)
- You don't fly a lot (400-500h a year for short haul) which is a problem as you will leave after 5-10 years and other airlines want hours.
- 747's crews are away up to 10-12 days in a row (might change later?)
So to conclude is you have hours, a young family and are happy with the belgian salarys it's a nice place to be. Night flying must be really considered as it's a problem in the long term and you are really disrupted in your sleep.
If you are young, need hours, want to fly during the day on new-generation aircrafts don't go there.
Hope this give a better overall picture.
Regards