Spandex,
You're missing some things. First, not all bases suffer from the "standby-itis". In fact, the enormous amounts of standby's seem to mostly hit UK bases. I've explained why somewhere else on this forum. But what it boils down to is too many Ryanair bases too close together. In other bases, flying remains quite steady throughout the winter. From when I was an FO I remember 50-60 hours in the winter. I wonder how many legacy carriers (maybe yours) can sport those figures for their FO's on a 737 or equivelant aircraft.
Second, paying for your type rating is still investing in your future. I would not pay for landing fees or fuel for a particular carrier. But my type rating is for the most flown passenger aircraft in the world, so wouldn't you say having that aircraft on your license is a good investment?
Last. You can't blame people for asking questions about your experince or employer. As you seem to have found the holy grail in aviation that all the rest of us have missed, naturally people will start to wonder how genuine your claims are.
Paidworker,
It is unclear at the moment. I believe the goal is to be self-reliant on upgrades to maintain their captain pool. It seems that's going to be the only way too. As conditions are slowly picking up, people are talking (and not only talking) about leaving. A lot of captains seem to be more and more eager to jump ship. Can't blaim them of course.
The sad thing is Ryanair could be a fantastic company. The aircraft are young, the routes challenging and the training good. It's just this terrible, terrible way of dealing with people that they have. There's a few small adjustments that if they would be done, pilot and cabin crew loyalty would skyrocket.
I'm working for this company until something better comes along. Most of my friends share the same view. For the company, that's sad.
Last edited by d105; 20th Dec 2010 at 13:55.