STU,
interesting post, but are you seriously suggesting 45,000 GBP (53,000 Euro approx) is an appropriate BASIC pay for a Captain of a modern airliner.
With respect, having a Bachelors Science Degreee would not been seen as anything special, many people these days would also have a degree on top of their aviation related qualifications..so when reading your post I do not see this to be relevant...Within our industry, what use is the degree if you are not allowed work in another job at the same time?
Maybe we should discuss a few facts, and let be clear the possibility of the confusion between Pounds and Euros...
Fact 1. The Basic Pay now is 30,000 EURO LESS than my current basic as a permanent employee within Ryanair. (A drop in Basic Salary of 30%)
Fact 2. When you include your sector pay and the 5,000 euro on top of this, as well as (and I stress the words very "BASIC") pay, taking into account benefits, uniforms, licences etc, ALL OF WHICH YOU DO NOT GET WITHIN RYANAIR, consulting with a colleague flying within a legacy airline (and I have seen the paycheck with my own eyes), the ANNUAL difference in Income (after Tax) equates to 70,000 Euro.
Every year you work as a skipper, you are down 70K.
Now consider a Pilot who is your age 29, with hopefully another 30 years flying. It does not take a BSC Graduate in Computers to realise that the pilot is down a total of 2.1 Million Pounds!!!!
Fact 3. With a permanent contract as a Captain, (and before anyone has a chance to have a go I have no unusual additional debt on my shoulders), just a modest Car Loan! , NO bank would give me a mortgage of 250,000 over 20 Years!
Fact 4. It is very niave of you to state "the fact Captains are earning over 100K blows your mind". Take a look at PPJN (pilots job network website), and you will quickly realise skippers for example in Asia, direct entry command on the 747 are earning in the region of 200K per year! Reality check required mate!
Finally, Soon to be Fact. The roster is great, 5 days ON 4 days OFF, thats what is keeping alot of people here in Ryanair, myself included! Changing to 5 days ON 3 days OFF (which is on the way), how will that amazing basic of 53K plus sector pay feel when you only have 1 day off a week after spending the other 2 days trying to get back home.
So STU66, you state you are an outsider looking in, and I appreciate that.
And without any intention to disrespect your points of view, this demonstrates clearly how PPPruNe is open to posts from anybody and everybody, sticking up threads and posts stating 100K is amazing, and without doubt brainwashes a new low-houred pilot, and perfect ammunition for RYR management.
For this reason, I do question the Moderators motive for continuing to allow such destructive posts, discussing the very terms and conditions of thousands of aviation professionals! Any right minded individual would realise, the job we do, flying a commercial jet with hundreds of passengers around the skies, dealing with all the threats that exist, 53,000 doesn't come close!!! There is no verification of anyones identity on here, adding to the fact, this could be anybody (including Ryanair Management who are having a lazy weekend), sitting down in their leather sofa wanting to stir things up!!!
Pressman, you are right, Captains do earn more than 45,000 POUNDS GBP, (53,000 Euro Basic), BUT this is now the NEW basic for new captains. I would love to know (well i know the reason) why no existing captains are going to standup and be counted !!!! Speaking from personal experience, its like pissing into the wind if only a few pilots attempt decide to make a stand against deteriorating terms and conditions...the collective pilot body must make a stand, however management know how unlikely it would be for this to happen.
PB and the other goons in management are scratching their heads as we speak wondering how they are going to fill the flight deck seats with crew for the summer, and at the same same continue to lower the conditions. If this weren't real life, this would be funny! No one is laughing!
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A wise man Baz once said:
Accept certain inalienable truths,
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*prices will rise,
*politicians will philander,
*RYR conditions will continue to fall,
*Young faced pilots will continue to accept these falling conditions,
*Random (ill-informed) posters will continue to post random posts on PPRune,
But Trust Me...RYR are about to get taught a really hard lesson and people are now walking. Summer 2011 Bring it On !
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