Monarch 
To all those people thinking of joining Monarch please let me tell you it is not the same great company it used to be. There are a whole lot of things that have changed and perhaps some of those need to be high lighted here. Firstly the management has a bean counter at the head, who at this times is heading for a head to head with the pilots. Most pilots are very hissed off at not getting any pay rise over the last two years. A laughable increase was given recently, ha! while most have knuckled down and worked very hard, and still are, management have seen it fit to drive them further down, the WMD they are using is still the old , 9/11 and our profit margins are down, etc. Yet we are working harder, flying more, the planes are full. Does that sound familiar? Because its a private company you can not see the company reports, so how do we ever know how the company is doing? I don't recall any company ever saying its having a good year, including monarch!
The final salary company pension scheme is not now available for now entrants and the top hat scheme which meant your pension grew by 11% each year after 55 is now reduced to 7%. It was a reason why pilots stayed on, but now a lot of guys are thinking otherwise. certainly there is no reason for FO's to give any loyality by staying, especially as commands are over 8 years off.
The 757 crews are equally hissed off as they seem to be flying 3 tel aviv trips every week on level two FTL variation. incidently why does the CAA allow this to become a normal way of rostering flights. Also I hear that lots of 757 pilots who volunteered for the Airbus fleet this year have missed out because someone has been offering out of seniority postings onto the fleet.
There are also lots of positionnings after flights and its not unusual to complete a long night duty followed by hanging out in an airport lounge for a few hours before flying or taxing back just so the company saves a hotel room and some allowances.
Flight sector pay does not excist and call out pay on days off, though just increased is still way below national average. At the moment the company seems keen on using brand new CTC pilots on loan from a easy airline, these guys only cost allowances and no permanant contact, its not a way of protecting jobs or conditions for anyone. No one thinks what will happen on a dark and dirty night somewhere in the greek islands when the chips are down?
So if you are thinking of joinning, remember that its the guys who work there who made it a great company, the feeling is not so good at the moment, the coming months may produce a mass exodus, a work to rule may shortly follow. Maybe someone at the top may realise loyalty and goodwill deserve to be rewarded, but once lost, they can not be retrieved easly. However if all these issues resolve there selves, get in fast! :
