Hey! Purple Pitot!
Still flying your toy? Did you hear about poor old Sam Hardy?
I agree with some previous posters, Jet2 is a great little place to work & I've returned to smiling while on my way in to work but that 'warm, fuzzy feeling' driving in to work doesn't pay the bills &/or loans for training costs. Comments like that are usually spouted by the incrementally privileged, management or fortunates bankrolled by parental deep pockets or re-settlement grants.
Back on thread.... you're spot on,PP, there are some cracking jobs out there at the mo' for B737 & B757 crews alike. But I do like the option of sitting on a beach or cruise ship for the 5 months off during the winter on a 70% deal. But it should be 100% pay for 7 months (summer) & 80% pay for the remaining 5 months of the year, as that is what was offered to the 100%'ers for winter working once the 70%'ers were in & on-line. This small stab in the back didn't go unnoticed.
Ideally, the range of contract offers should be along the lines of:
100% all year round for those who want to fly and sit at home on Standby all winter.
100% April-Oct, 80% Nov-March for those who want the winter off .
100% May-Oct (6 months on/off) so one can look for 3/6 months contracting work to suit them with a retainer paid by Jet2 to ensure these guys return for the next season.
I know a few of the current crop of 70%'ers & the 100% fixed term'ers & if they follow through with their intentions, Jet2's severest problems will manifest themselves in March/April next year when these guys are due to return to Jet2 for Summer 2011. There is a common theme running through their gripes & it is that loyalty works both ways. Imagine the dilemma of the 70%'er F/O's come March, continue contracting on £3500/month or return to working for Jet2 on £1800/month. Surely the best solution all round is that people have the option to do either or both as suits them.
There are over 20 Capts & F/O's (who should be SF/O's due to their experience alone!) who are on the 70% or fixed term Contracts & to a man (& lady) they are generally not happy with the way Jet2 are handling the relationship for Summer 2011. Most of these Crews have alternative activities organized for the 'Rest' period & it will be interesting to see, come March, how many are willing to rejoin Jet2.com on the deal or even on a 100% of the current offerings. Would Jet2.com's various departments such as HR, Recruitment, Flight Ops Admin' & Training be able to cope with say for example half of the 70%'ers not returning & resigning in late March?
Looking at things from the company's perspective, cloaks of secrecy surrounding Commercially sensitive plans are vital but count for a lot of employees perceptions & calls of "The Company's telling us nothing about the future".However vital expansion provided by additional aircraft manned by recruited & retained crews has to be a closely guarded secret in organisations as vulnerable as airlines of Jet2's size. Already we have seen RYR increasing LBA based aircraft to a possible 4 or 6 B737NG's & at NCL, TCX are adding 2 or 3 more B757's. Jet2 have some increasingly serious competition & revealing next seasons routes & strategy as well as keeping operating costs (including salaries) to a minimum are essential tools for survival. And many jobs depend on that survival.
If I could give a message to Jet2 management, it would be this:
A happy workforce is a productive one,
Loyalty works both ways,
Flexibility is the key to Air Power.
Simplification of contracts, raising of Terms & Conditions to industry average & appropriations for the retainment of vitally experienced Managers & Crews is in the hands of a few (namely 1).
Over to you, Jet2. PM me if anyone wishes to discuss what little knowledge I have of Jet2 privately.