I was amused to hear some one say after a few years of command they would move onto a major carrier!! What major carrier I might ask as there is not one that is likely to be able to offer what a Captain in RyanAir has, if you go overseas there are very few expat companies left and you have to join at the bottom of a seniority list where not always your number even if ypu have one carries any weight and remember you have no employment rights overseas and a certain length of contract is meaningless and you can be got rid of at 3 months notice with no reason given ie Cathay and others.
What about the little wife if you have one if considering Qatar? Likewise if you have children then schooling is a big consideration. Boarding fees overseas will devour all your salary these days,requiring accommodation at your homebase being available as well. Where will the kids go with all these half terms and exeats??
Remember the climate in Qatar is v hot and not everyone can cope with that.
We Pilots sometimes choose the job we prefer without any thought about what the rest of the family has toput up with,which I plead guilty to!!
Qatar Airways always were a bunch of scrooges but maybe they have changed though God knows why they should with the surplus of Pilots these days.
I know nothing about Ryan Air ,only travelled on them once to Dublin and had to hang on tightly when taxying aircraft at great speed tp make I assume the tight schedules!! As someone said a 35 year career at this pace sounds absolutely awful,such is the public demand for cheaper and cheaper travel . I know of no other service which gets cheaper and cheaper year on in,and all at the cost of Pilots quality of life !!