I am currently work as a Flight Data Anlayst.
I will not say anyones names on the front of easyjet or Ryanair, but I know people in the position. I know people with 6 month contracts looking for A319 & A320 pilot jobs othat the moment as there contract has run out. They are hoping that they will be flying with them year tho.
On the front of getting FI job, at the moment there is more instructors than students . Plus with the increase in flying costs and VAT more people are less likley to find the money to do there PPL or pay for a 1/2 hour flight.
Air taxi. I have looked at this one. sorry to disappoint you, but please read this as I spent a great deal of time chasing this field.
http://www.jaa.nl/publications/jars/jar-ops-1.pdf
page 194
JAR-OPS 1.960 Commanders holding a
Commercial Pilot Licence
(a) An operator shall ensure that:
(1) A Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL)
holder does not operate as a commander of an
aeroplane certificated in the Aeroplane Flight
Manual for single pilot operations unless:
(i) When conducting passenger
carrying operations under Visual Flight
Rules (VFR) outside a radius of 50 nm from
an aerodrome of departure, the pilot has a
minimum of 500 hours total flight time on
aeroplanes or holds a valid Instrument
Rating; or
(ii) When operating on a multiengine
type under Instrument Flight Rules
(IFR), the pilot has a minimum of 700 hours
total flight time on aeroplanes which
includes 400 hours as pilot-in-command (in
accordance with
[the requirements
governing Flight Crew Licenses
]) of which
100 hours have been under IFR including
40 hours multi-engine operation. The 400
hours as pilot-in-command may be
substituted by hours operating as co-pilot
on the basis of two hours co-pilot is
equivalent to one hour as pilot-in-command
provided those hours were gained within an
established multi-pilot crew system
prescribed in the Operations Manual;
The fact is that you need 700 hours to fly a multi engine aircraft. You cannot fly single engine aircraft carrying passengers on a JAA Licence.