I've now left Ryanair & I'm in a place where the sun shines and the sand is plentiful. And the reason why I left is because everything Maverick says is true. Back in 2006 the Ryanair Pilots had a real opportunity to actually do something about the working conditions and REPA had some real movement. Things were actually looking promising and I for one was gutted when things didn't go well with the pay votes in the bases in 2007. Sadly, that was a real missed opportunity for Ryanair Pilots and I fear an opportunity like that will never return.
But it's not just Ryanair Pilots that have messed things up. Look at jet2 with 70% working etc, Easyjet with flexible contracts, Thomas Cook are doing the same. How can something like that occur at a unionised company like TCX? Didn't the TCX Pilots complain to BALPA? The bottom line is, a career in the UK with decent T's and C's is impossible unless you join BA. But as money talks, how long is it going to be before BA looks to cut costs and Flight Deck T's and C's suffer? After all, BA have to compete with the likes of easy and Ryanair for traffic. And the public tend to look at price before anything else.
The sad fact is that just about everyone (pilot or not) want's someone else to fight their corner for them. If the Pilots would actually fight for themselves............................... But that's never going to happen.