Just by way of a personal observation, without wishing to enter into the debate around the rights or wrongs of current TOM recruitment terms other than to say that they have proved to be rather more flexible than what recent joiners have signed up too....I have never regretted for one moment joining the Company more than 30 years ago. The aircraft are well maintained with very few deferred defects, the routes are varied and the pay is good and reliable. Add into that the other benefits such as loss of licence, share scheme, private healthcare, death in service benefit, Thomson holiday discount scheme etc, and thanks to the constant efforts of the BALPA Company Council the overall package is hard to beat in the UK. Many pilots who have only recently joined are now flying long haul on the B787, so a varied operating lifestyle is available. Add to that quality training and excellent colleagues it is not hard to see why in recent years, without exception, all the recent joiners I have come into contact with either in a training environment or on the line have no regrets about joining. Yes the roster can be fairly punishing during the peak months, but no worse, I suspect, than at other comparable operators. The Company Council are engaged in a continuous dialogue over innumerable issues with the Company, and some outcomes such as pension contribution rates are not ideal, but overall they achieve a great deal in mitigating the more zealous ambitions of the management.
No I am not a management pilot, just someone who has had a long and varied career with this Company and who would encourage anyone thinking of joining to look beyond initial financial considerations and play the "long game."