To be honest it's all market lead, whilst there was a glut of pilots on the market the companies could dictate the terms. I am lead to believe all of the new joiners this year are all 100%
I have personally since May this year spoken to 4 pilot's that have joined on 70% and have heard of more.
I agree that 50% pay while training is rubbish and 70% contracts are less than ideal. However you have to look at your own individual circumstances to make that kind of decsion. For some people 70% at Jet 2 will be the same or more than they were on with their previous employer and for some it is an employer that is on the verge of making you redundant or going bust. The 70% part leaves you with 5 months per annum off pro rata. If you book your leave right you can end up with 4 straight months off, in that period you can work somewhere else to make up your wages.
Add into this a free type rating and a small financial sweetener if your training drags on. Add to that living in the north UK and being home every night is an absolute necessity for your personal circumstances and you start to see why people make the choice to go to Jet 2. Is there any other choice in the UK that meet those requirements (especially for DEC) these days?
Yes it's not ideal and 50%/70% is bad for the industry but don't be so quick to judge people that do take it because for many there is simply no other choice. In the schemes of things the deal at Jet 2 is nowhere near as bad as many other employers and once you are on your 100% in your base of choice it's amazing how quickly you forget the misery of 50%/70%!