No big secrets guys, and as I said I'm not getting into a slagging match. It really comes down to what sort of person you are, and what you're looking for in a job. If you enjoy being away from home a lot, and you are OK with constantly shifting sleep patterns you may find it alright. If like me, you need some sort of routine to acheive adequate rest, you will struggle.
I don't want to sound too negative, but for me it's just not the sort of lifestyle I'm willing to accept long term, and many of the others at Pac Blue feel the same.
Some cosiderations:
- You are rostered 9 days off per month, that's effectively the same as a 9-5 office worker, but you will spend a lot more time away from home (not saying that's bad, just something I don't like).
- Unlike other airlines, there is no distinction between a rest period and days off, eg. if you do a back of the clock duty and require 30 hours rest, you are just rostered days off and expected to recover in you're own time - this is bad no matter who you are.
- A day off is classed as finishing anywhere up to midnight, and starting next duty after single day off at 6 am, or after multiple days off at 5 am. Not only is this insufficient time, but it is an example of the very poor understanding/regard this airline has for fatigue management (constant skipping from late finish to early start and back). Not to mention the possibility of having two lengthy tours of duty seperated only by a single day off.
- There is no formal protection of your right to plan your life. Duties can be changed without bounds as long as days off are not affected. You can be changed off a late report to an early with less than 24 hours notice, and you have no right of refusal.
- If you're paxing after flying, you can be rostered a duty of up to 16 hours.
I'm not going into pay issues because for me, that's far less important than quality of life.
The simple fact is, for most people, it is imposible not to suffer the effects of accute and cronic fatigue when subjected to some of these roster situations. It's not fair to be told you must report for duty unaffected by fatigue, and then be put in a situation where it's impossible not to be fatigued.
If anyone has some more positive points to add, please do. I just want to give these guys a balanced picture.
I'm happy to try and answer any other questions anyone has.
Cheers