Astraeus for the summer? opinions please [Archive]

London Jets

1st Jun 2004, 08:23

There are far too many people who quite clearly don't make the grade, these people quite simple have nothing better to do that bad mouth who they have worked for and with. While I understand that this is an annonymous forum and people are perfectly entitled to their own opinion's which people are sharing, but please get your facts straight before you share them with others.

I have just started with Astraeus as well and I have had nothing but good impressions and feedback from them. This is a company that has high standards and is quite obviously going places. Now to work here you need high standards yourself, and if you are not kept on after 6 months then you have to start questioning yourself. Everyone is given a 6 month probation and then you go permenant, I know of a few people who were only give 6 month contract but they have been told that there is nothing to stop them from being extended and given perminent ones. As for the bond, I suggest if you are not happy with a bond then go find an airline that doesn't have the quality or standards that Astraeus has, may I suggest My Travel for you? Maybe some of you should considder BA as well? The bond is there to commit you to a future to an airline that has a future. And regardless of what others say in here, if you are not kept on after 6 months, it is not your choice to leave and therefore you don't have to pay any part of your bond back. The only time you pay any part of your bond back is is you leave on your on choice.

I've found somewhere I like, I know alot of other people like it here as well. This is somewhere that they know who you are as a person, not a number.

crash_1983

1st Jun 2004, 09:48

London Jets

I couldnt agree with you more, having just joined AEU in February, i have nothing but good impressions, not much more i can say, i think LJ covered it!

Trol E Doll

1st Jun 2004, 10:26

Markkent,

What a strange thing to do!

You came on here and asked for opinions about an airline you are considering joining.

You got opinions, most of which seem to be positive (issue of bond notwithstanding).

You then say you are goig to "give them a miss" because you

haven't heard good things about them to be honest from others that are there now

But there are posts here from people who " are there now".

So it seems like you asked for opinions, got the opinions, and then decided to disregard the opinions.

From what I hear, AEU is no worse than many others out there recruiting, possibly slightly better in some respects. ( Have a read of the Flyjet bitching session for example).

This Forum is full of opinions from people who are with various airlines. If you were to believe half the stuff you read here, or hear in your local pub, you would never go into the profession of Cabin Crew.

Out of interest, Mark, where have you " decided" to go ( or more importantly, who has actually offered you a job) ?

sammyhostie

1st Jun 2004, 14:08

Guys,

Enjoy your time at AEU, but I would bet money you dont stay past October.

Happy Flying!

aeulad

1st Jun 2004, 20:57

Sammy knows nowt!:p

Regards

Mike

sammyhostie

2nd Jun 2004, 06:29

AEUlad,

I do! having worked there when we used to do LGW-BJL and LGW SSH and TCP roundtrips!

But I hope you have a good season anyway, Im not slagging them off really, I just think the Bond is a bit cheeky.

There good as a starter airline for new crew.

Puritan

2nd Jun 2004, 07:51

Sammy nobody denies that BJL, SSH & TCP roundtrips are long, however you've failed to point out the following points:[list=1] They maximise duty pay ( earning power versus commutes the airport )
They generate the best in-flight-sales commission payments - by quite a wide margin.
BJL & SSH have special rules attached to them, i.e. a level II variation to CAP371 / FTL's.[/list=1]The company agree to give you a job, train you & pay you, and for that they need some assurance that time-wasters and ne’er-do-wells are discouraged. There is a commitment required on both sides and I’m afraid to report that many’s the time that cabin crew have failed to honour their side of the arrangement – hence the bond. Remember also that you only pay the bond if you decide to leave in advance of the natural end of your contract ( i.e. see previous sentences ).

Aside - Airlines regularly attach a bond w.r.t. type-rating a pilot. The deal there is typically that the pilot is either 1) on a reduced salary for a certain period of time (years), or 2). a bond period (years) wherein the pilot pays back the cost of the type-rating prorate on length of service, or 3) some combination of 1 & 2.
The initial figures for that can be in the region of £20,000+ where, in much the same vein, airlines can’t afford to train people only to have them bugger off at the first sign of hard work or the offer of another job.

It's all there in the contract, if you care to read it.

flymeboy

2nd Jun 2004, 11:00

Hi Guys!

I think that having a bond is a good idea, as stated before it takes alot of time and money to train up cabin crew, get uniforms etc. Its does stop people from "using airlines and I personally think it takes a good 6+ months to find out whether you really like flying anyway! I remember going to an Airtours interview years ago and they have a bond very similar and it was £400. In those does that was quite alot!!!!

With regard to having long days, yep there are a few but I worked for a large scheduled airline and then we used to do long days, ie four or five sectors a day, min rest night stops etc that all make you tired! I would rather say hello and goodbye to only 2 sets of pax rather than 4 or 5 sets of pax!

AEU isnt for everyone, but the crew there are really nice, we have a laugh and work hard but play hard as well!

Enjoy the summer flying you guys!!!

FMB xxx:ok:

titmitch

25th Jun 2004, 13:36

Hello all at aeu. Markkent in agreement to what somebody else said, why ask for opinions on aeu and then not take them on board. The summer is picking up. I've got 12 flights on my current roster and one of them is a 4 day trip. I think you've missed a good opportunity to join an up and coming airline.

Jalite I shall firstly correct myself the flight duty pay has been increased to £2.22 an hour and the reason i know this is because i'm cabin crew rep and sat in a pay review meeting with the consultative council.
When it comes to the bond aeu don't try and hide the fact that they bond you. I've been with the company 18 mths and fortunatley am not bonded anymore. We are not the only company that do it.

markkent-2004

25th Jun 2004, 17:48

I'm sorry if I offended anyone.

I'm sure Astraeus suits some people and not others. I looked into things and I have been offered a job with BA at LHR So i'm taking it.

Good luck however to everyone:D :D :D :D :D :D :D

BA HERE A COME...:D

Floaty

27th Jun 2004, 12:36

You've done the right thing markkent-2004. You'll be much happier working for a schedule airline like BA, no comparison!

I know Astraeus have a good reputation in the industry and their commissions on bars are really high (up to 60£/day on a good flight) but there are several things that I do not find fair at all:

1. If I ever pay money for my training, it would be for a Cabin Crew Licence, issued by the BAA, not by Astraeus. Unfortunately in the U.K. there is no such thing, which means you have to retrain from scratch every time you change airline, no matter if you have been working on that same aircraft type for 10 years.

2. Any company asking me to count the content of all the bars and bond bags before every flight can go and fekk themselves! That's not my job.
OK with checking the catering, dry stores and restocking toilets but I'm not there to check if Bond do their job properly: for that they can hire someone else.

3. Their uniform sucks, they only get 1 and their voucher system is ridiculous.

4. Sorry I don't train on the top floor of a pasta manufacturer building... where is the glamour gone uh? Oh c'mon! How cheap is that??? :\

5. What night stops guys? I lived with an Astraeus employee for a while: 2 nights away (one being xmas) over 6 months roster, in an ugly hotel in BJV!!

6. No long-haul

7. No airline benefits

8. And finally... their 757 are the oldest, crapest, cheapest ones available in the UK!

...but I'm sure the people are great... and due to the turnaround and expansion, a promotion to senior is quite likely... :}

Not me cup of tea...

FJ

London Jets

27th Jun 2004, 13:57

Floaty

You are obviously very bitter and twisted. Grow up.

If you are going to slag someone off, get your facts right before you start.

Have you ever worked for AEU?

Yes there are some things that a not perfect but I have never worked for someone who has been perfect. There are alot of good things about the company. It is still a new airline and it is growing rapidly.

I don't want to get into an argument with you but I disagree with the majority of what you have written above.

Yes the bar comission is good, (don't think there is anything else I agree with!).

If anyone is considdering joining Astraeus drop me a PM and I'll let you know a bit about the company, I work for them, I am happy with them, the people are great and the future is very bright.

Don't worry Floaty, you're point of view has been noted, considdered and dismissed, however, thank you for your contribution.

It is nice to see Pprune caters for all types of people.

LJ

flymeboy

27th Jun 2004, 14:54

Hi guys!

Just thought I would put my 2p worth in!

Yes I agree that working for Astraeus is not everyone's cup of tea, but then nor is working for BA or Easyjet etc! Everyone is different and, thank god! It would be awful if everyone looked like people at BA!

With regard to counting the bars and bond bars "before" every flight, thats rubbish! Yes we do count the bars after take off, but all the airlines I have worked for, I have always had too! The guys at the bonded warehouse make mistakes like cabin crew make mistakes at times! Why "cross check" each others doors then?

I partially agree with Floaty about having a license, but I can't see that happening for a while. Anyway, you would have to do some sort of training if you did have a license as each company's SOPs and SEPs are different, and when crew are training, I think it makes people bond together and make new friends etc.

Sorry that your opinion on Astraeus isn't very good but during my time there I was happy and got to fly to some destinations and stop there that I would have never have dreamed off going too! I hear that the 757 they have is going very shortly and another one is going to replace it!

Happy landing and take off's to you all!

FMB xxxx

Puritan

28th Jun 2004, 10:29

Floaty – You’ve been doing a cabin crew job for, oh, let me see now.... your initial training began on 3rd march 2003 ( as per your post 14th Feb 2000 (http://www.pprune.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=775194#post775194) ) wherein your experience working in the airline business amounts to.... approx one year - all spent at FCA, which you decided to leave because of, ( paraphrasing ) as you put it, being "too good for your employer (http://www.pprune.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=1391127#post1391127)". Ho hum.

So, taking each of your previous points in turn:

1) Paying for training versus ‘bonds’ – Nobody is forced to join an airline and wherein the Terms & Conditions are laid out in the contract for all to see and digest prior to making any commitment. As such you don’t have to join but, if you do, it’s expected that you will honour your contract - that's not too much to ask, is it !?

Accordingly a bond does not pay for training; it is merely a financial instrument to help offset training costs if somebody decides to renege on their contract, wherein it also perhaps helps ‘to focus the mind’.

I.e. inefficient airlines ( like BA, supposedly ) have lots of staff that they’re able to chuck at crewing problems, e.g. if people don’t turn up for work they can call in any number of standby crew, whereas small / new’ish airlines don’t have that same luxury wherein, if enough people fail to turn-up for work ( e.g. they can’t be bothered, good party down the road, etc ), this can potentially lead to a flight being cancelled ( i.e. insufficient crew ), the disruption and costs of which are eye watering and cause serious impact to a fledgling company’s bottom line and the staff employed therein ! :{

Putting it into perspective, an exception to this ( i.e. paying for training ) are pilots when they’re trying to obtain their initial professional license and / or type-rating, i.e. they won’t get much change out of £60k+ for the former and, furthermore, the ‘bond’ that many pilots have attached for their type-rating ( if it was paid for by an airline ) is often £20,000 or more, (typically) reducing prorate over 3 years; and you're worried about £600 ( that can be offset in extenuating circumstances ) which might come into play only if you fail to honour your initial six month contract ?! :rolleyes:

2) Counting bars – As a member of the company one has responsibility to ensure that it ( the company ) is not getting short-measures from its suppliers and ( I’m afraid to say ) some staff. :(
From your time with FCA, you will be well aware that the ‘bar carts’ are sealed before they leave the Bonded Warehouse and that they are not opened until the aircraft is airborne; so just when and who is supposed to check that the contents are as stated & expected ?!

3) Uniform – A subjective matter, though I do prefer the newer version.

4a) Training facilities - For a company that’s only been going for just over two years ( i.e. first flight in April 2002 ) imho it’s quite an amazing achievement to have totally out grown the facilities at HQ and gone from a handful of staff to over 400 this summer.
Perhaps one day Astraeus too will have a nice glitzy training facility like, say, FCA ( Air2k ) at LGW and / or Bmed & BA at LHR - but in the mean time let’s concentrate on making money ( so ensuring that staff are paid their salary’s ) and continue to gain market share. :ok:

4b) Glamour in the airline business. – Err, we’re not living in 1954. If you want glamour then get a job on a corporate jet or the catwalk ( wherein these too have their pitfalls ) !

5) Nightstops – Uhm, we do do our share of these ( more typically in the shoulder periods around summer and winter ), albeit maybe not as many as we used to, but that is a function of the commercial flying program, i.e. the raison d’etre for an airline.
In any event, I’ve had layovers in: Aberdeen, Athens, Banjul, Bristol, Cardiff, Deer Lake (Canada), Dublin, Glasgow, Isle de Jerba, Keflavik, Larnaka, Lisbon, Madrid, Palma, Prague, Rome, Sharm el Sheik, Free Town, St.Petersburg, Taba, Tel Aviv, etc, etc, to name but some, and the list continues to grow – and good fun they’ve been too. ;)

6) No long-haul – well thank gawd for that !

7) No airline benefits – I’m sorry, but you’re wrong ! Astraeus do get airline ‘benefits’, e.g. sub-load on our own airline, plus Interline with other carries, plus AirPerx, plus discounted holidays ( e.g. with various companies whose passengers we fly – and might I say the Taba deal is particularly good ! ), plus discounted car hire, cheap(er) hotels, etc. and this list is growing as Astraeus becomes more established.

8) B757 being oldest and crappest – That particular aircraft is borrowed from another airline and is very soon (weeks) to be returned to them – but wherein it helped Astraeus out of a short term need - and will imminently be replaced with a much nicer / newer one.

Reading between the lines what you’re seemingly after is a glamorous job, with international long-haul travel, sleeping in hotels, that pays good money, were you can practise your touchy feely people skills and that comes with lots of 'perks' – I think I know the very thing ! :E

Nb. Edited due typo's, syntax, and remembering of yet more layover destinations. :)

sammyhostie3

28th Jun 2004, 10:38

Puritan,

Your last paragraph is funny!

"what you’re after is a glamorous job with international long-haul travel, sleeping around in hotels, that pays good money, where you can practise your touchy feely people skills and with lots of perks"

Because that kind of glitzy glam lifestyle is exactly what I have. (apart from I dont "sleep around" in hotels - LOL!)

I started off with AEU, and was so dissappointed, with the money, lifestyle, aircraft, routes, uniform, everything.

Im now with MYT, and have never been so happy.

I do long and short haul, on nice aircraft, get to stay in lovely hotels, in tropical places, wear a great uniform, make great friends and make great money.

And before you start on the "at least were not bust" mantra, We are not going under, things are looking very good for us, finally, this year.

I love my job and my lifestyle, am proud of what I do and who iI work for. My job now is every bit like I think we all think it will be.

I never ever could say any of those things when I was with AEU.

And guess what! I dont have to pay a bond back!

Puritan

28th Jun 2004, 10:57

Sammy, good for you... glad you like it at MYT ( make the most of it ).

That said, what I do not care for are people who do not tell it as it actually is, i.e. saying things which are not factually correct and / or patently untrue.

Floaty

28th Jun 2004, 11:04

Few more notes, then I leave this topic as I happen not to give a toss about Astraeus...

1. Londonjets, Puritan, I happen to be expressing my opinion, which is neither bitter nor twisted.
In every industry and in every airline you will find workers with different points of view. Mine is that some of the people at Astraeus are great ('coz I happen to know a few) but things could be done quite differently to satisfy the crew a little more!

2. Puritan, if you ran a search on my person you obviously know I've stated things that are CANS OF WORMS at Astraeus, otherwise you wouldn't spend so much of your time trying to defend YOUR company by attempting to slag someone off.
Btw, may I remind you that PPruNe is not there to take it on individuals. What did you think you would achieve? You're out of track matey. In fact, just FYI, some of your employees have approached me on PM to let me know they are "scared" to state the truth on this website for the fear of being recognized and sacked! THAT says it all...

3. I never had to count bars, unless there were no computers on board and huge discrepancies. I think this practice only represents extra work for the crew, i.e. it is not fair on you guys, that's all! If management takes the liberty to DEDUCT bar discrepancies from the crew' WAGES, there is a PROBLEM!
Easy to state that the bars cannot be unsealed before take-off as an excuse for overloading the crew with extra work! Get someone from management to come onboard and check the bars then!! Or is it too much work for you??

Crew already do seat pockets before each flight and on turnaround, clean the aircraft on certain flights, follow a very strict order of service, P.A.s cannot be adapted with personal touches (someone got sacked recently for doing that - oh great!)... It's a pretty tough life for your employees, don't you think so?

May I suggest you run a survey for your employees and check the job satisfaction and motivation of your crew (possibly anonimous)?

But of course, when managers/owners need to use PPruNe to defend the image of their airline... there is obviously a problem...

I let PPruNers decide for themselves, I'm outta here! Geez!

FJ

p.s. Flying Colours? ... Can't remember such a thing :confused:
:uhoh: :ok:

Puritan

28th Jun 2004, 11:26

Floaty, w.r.t. 'expressing my opinion' - you're perfectly entitled to do that, however what you wrote previously could not be described as 'opinion' but more akin to 'statements' and which, for the most part, are wrong / factually incorrect.

I was mearly correcting you on these ( wherein I am privy to the facts first hand ) as well as pointing out that you have only been in the airline business for one year, with one company, and so might not be quite as 'knowledgable' about the business as one might hope.

In any event could you do us all a favour and, prior to posting, get your facts straight.

Good luck with BA.

Ps. I'm not going to bother getting into a debate with you w.r.t. the other crap you've come out with - as life's too short to explain it to you.

sammyhostie3

28th Jun 2004, 11:32

The new routes AEU operate are so inviting!

Freeown?! Isnt that in Sierra Leone? Nice!

AEU has certainly captured a niche market Puritan...because no one else will go there!

I thought the Malabo's were bad!

LOL!

Puritan

28th Jun 2004, 11:47

Actually, Freetown has better beaches than Banjul, some great bars, and the hotel's quite good too ( indeed miles better than Malabo 'apartments', which I'll admit wouldn't be hard to beat ), plus the crews get several days as a layover; It's generally nothing like as bad as some would paint it ( but don't tell the management I said that ;) ) .... and the rumour mill has it that some far more 'exotic' places are in the offing.

You might not know this but the original business plan was Astraeus to do just that, i.e. 'niche market' stuff - looks like the plan's working ! :ok:

sammyhostie3

28th Jun 2004, 11:58

Yes I did know the niche plan! And yes it is working!

I wouldnt like to go to those dodgy places tho....i appreciate they may not be as bad as they sound but they dont really sound good to your family and friends!

I like the new scarf and skirt you have now, I used to hate the old policewoman uniform, so uncomfortable and scratchy.
Quite a few people from my course at AEU are with MYT now, in fact I flew with one of them the other day, which was a nice suprise!

I think that AEU does serve a purpose; it starts you off in the industry, and in the opposite end of the spectrum gives older people the chance to fly, and also the retired BA hosties!

Puritan

28th Jun 2004, 12:04

sammy, you might have a point about BA... i.e. we've seemingly now got dozens of BA ( retired at 55 ) pilots working for us as well as a smattering of their cabin crew too; Perhaps the best bit is that they seem to love it with us - what more can I say !

sammyhostie3

28th Jun 2004, 12:07

LOL Puritan!

On the BA note, I notice that the entire welcome/introduction part of your pre-course manual "A Flying Start" is completely copied from the BA Intro hanbook?!

I did a season wIth BA, and couldnt believe it when I was re-reading it!

Surely it is copyrighted?

Puritan

28th Jun 2004, 12:49

Wouldn’t know about that as I didn’t do that intro course and I am not familiar with what BA ( / CityFlyer, as was ) / Astreaus teach to their cabin crew.

However it’s common knowledge that all airlines plagiarise each others stuff ( indeed they often do this with knowing agreement ), e.g. the GoFly’s manuals were part BA's and other airlines; the City Flyer manuals were part Connectair, part Air Europe, part BA’s; British World Airlines manuals were part Go Fly’s and others; First Choice’s manual are part Air Europe's ( think about Air 2000 and the history there ) and others; as such, given all the lineage, one could imagine that Astreaus’ are probably a mixture of BA's, CityFlyers, GoFly, BWA, Air2000/FirstChoice, BMed, Inter European, Eastern, Qatar, MyTravel/Airtours, etc - it's a very incestuous business, particularly when you think of all the players involved, e.g. I’ve still got Air Europe manuals from nearly 20 years ago and they still read very similarly to those I’ve seen via friends at MyTravel ( Airtours, as was ) – just where does one begin ?!

sammyhostie3

28th Jun 2004, 12:54

True,

BUT AEU has copied it word from word!

It makes you feel a bit let down, bit fake.

AEU also coincidentally have the same BOOST and SLOT thingys
that are used in feedback, training etc.

(I cant remember that posh name!)

Fair enough, I know we all sponge off each other, but I dont think BA would approve of people thinking that them and AEU are related somehow!

Puritan

28th Jun 2004, 16:04

Sammy - I’ve just had a look and would agree that the chapter sequence is similar to that of the BA pre-course workbook. However the content is very different, given that Astraeus is a charter airline, e.g. the Astraeus workbook is a lot more detailed with regards operational matters, aircraft / onboard service and FTL’s etc.

Needless to say, the majority of airlines pre-course workbooks incorporate a welcome message, company structure, aircraft terminology, 24 hour clock and aviation terms. I’m sure that you’ll appreciate that it is very difficult to vary this type of information – though I can confirm that the graphics and illustrations in Astraeus’ version are in-house generated.

Furthermore, it happens ( unsurprisingly ) that our cabin crew & flight Operations Manuals are identical to the CAP 650 Specimen AtoB Operations Manuals ( as supplied / pro-forma by the CAA / JAA ) which sets out the required information and, as other airlines follow this format, it does not mean that information therein has been copied ( though sometimes it might be – see my previous post - but wherein it makes no difference ).

Cabin Safety & Training Departments of the majority of UK airlines regularly meet or communicate via e-mail to discuss policy, procedures and development of training, i.e. when it comes to safety and the training of excellent safety standards, there is no competition, as it is something from which we all benefit.

‘Thingys’ as you say ( where I believe the word you’re looking for is ‘acronyms’ ) are very widely used in aviation and other fields, wherein if you pick up any book on ‘Development and Coaching’ the words motivational, developmental, BOOST and SMART will more than likely be included.
It’s interesting to note that you mention ‘SLOT’. Did you also know that this was generated by Astraeus’ very own JH ( when he was at CityFlyer ) wherein BA thought it was a good idea and adopted it as a company wide policy. Astraeus ( & JH ) still think it is a good idea and have the same policy.

You may also be interested to know how closely Astraeus work with BA, e.g. as a rough guide, last year alone, Astraeus paid BA in the region of three quarters of a million £'s for the supply of training resources for its flight & cabin crews – and this figure continues to grow quite substantially due to expansion by both Astraeus and Bond Aviation.

London Jets

28th Jun 2004, 16:18

Floaty - Have you ever worked for Astraeus?

Puritan - Like your points, very valid. Probably fly with you at some point!

sammyhostie3 - Glad you enjoy it at My Travel, best of luck there. At least you have a positive opinion about them. Astreaus sounds like it has changed a fair bit since you left. When did you leave?

sammyhostie3

28th Jun 2004, 17:03

London Jets,

I left AEU about 16 months ago.

AEU is good for some people, just wasnt for me!

Thanks for the comment re:- MYT! I love it, and am very proud to say it.

Floaty

29th Jun 2004, 20:35

What?...DIS-ASTREUS? Nah! Don't know... :) :O :p :D :} :} :rolleyes:

skychick2003

30th Jun 2004, 07:30

Congrats floaty on getting the worlds favourite airline, somehow I don't think floaty is bitter just stating her opinion which you are entitled to..

:D

Puritan

30th Jun 2004, 09:04

Imho, some of you could do with getting a dictionary and looking up the meaning(s) of a few words, e.g. :

Opinion: n. A belief or assessment based on grounds short of proof.

Statement: n. A thing stated. A declaration. A formal account of the facts.

Let me give you an example; if I were to write:

XYZ airline has 6. No long-haul, 7. No airline benefits, 8. their 757 are the oldest, crapest, cheapest ones available in the UK!

then that is a ‘statement’ about XYZ airline.

The danger is that other people, not privy to the facts, might read any such ‘statement’ and take it at face value.

Of course had there been a prefix such as ‘it is my understanding’ or ‘as far as I am aware, wherein I might be wrong’, etc, this then would move it towards being ‘opinion’ ( nay, subjective opinion ) and ergo any 3rd party might be able to draw the view that there is some room for doubt in what the author has written.

Needless to say, should one actually work for XYZ airline, then one aught to be able to counter any inaccuracies in such a ‘statement’ with the actual facts, so that the true position is clear to all.

You got to be careful what you say, wherein it’s as much about what you say as how you say it. :E

Floaty

30th Jun 2004, 12:46

I never posted the words "Not that I am bitter" at the end of my previous post. I have no idea who did that but obviously there are little Gremlins playing on this site. I have deleted that sentence because it doesn't reflect the way I feel.

I have nothing else to say about this airline and I think Puritan has used plenty of space on this topic to defend his opinions, so have I.

Said that, I think PpruNers have seen what they wanted to see. The rest is mostly abusive and none of us need that.

GOODBYE.

FJ

Puritan

30th Jun 2004, 14:00

Floaty, just so we're clear. You made statements about the company for whom I work which were plainly untrue - and about which I subsequently corrected you.

It would be nice if you had the good grace to admit that what you wrote was wrong; we live in hope, eh ?!

flystarboy

30th Jun 2004, 23:01

Well Well Well l I have been watching this post with interest and cannot believe how Negative some of the comments have been. I do speak as an ex AEU employee so do have some experience of the company. I had the fortune to be part of the start up of the company and as any one knows new companys have their teething troubles. ( I once worked for a big airline at LGW and their teething troubles went on for 7 years!!)
Astraeus did not ( and I may be wrong here) and still does not have the luxury of being tied to a holiday company (I think its called vertical intergration) so they are independant and have to go out and fight for their work, per say. This may impact on their in house resources and the effects/benefits to their employees.
I can say hand on heart when I went for the interview the Commercial director, Cabin service MGr and Chief pilot told it how it was. The pay was discussed the work style discussed and all the things that you want to know at interviews was told. I dont think that has changed... certainly didnt when i was part of the recruitment team. We told prospective candidates How it was.....
possibly some people may have "selective information retention"
but thats human nature.

Anyway to get to the point Astraeus was/is a good quality airline and considering how young the company is they have expanded in leaps and bounds and they certainly have a quality product(which admittedly took sometime to instill and maintain ) but they have got there.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and experienced some real "old fashioned" flying doing sub-charters, VIP flights and the low cost and high profile stuff that many of the UK airlines dont do any more (thats vertical intergration for you)

My advice to any considering flying for Astraeus is go for it... it will give you a good grounding into aviation and whilst it may not make you a millionaire you will be far richer from the experiences. people and general comaradery that is sadly so lacking in many airlines in the UK.

You may be asking then if it was so fantanstic there why I am an ex employee?

The reason being I had got as far as I could and needed more challenges and opportunities, which I truly believe my Manager understood.

Anyway enough said I feel... Give AEU a try they really are "Stars in the Sky" (copyrighted!!!!!)...
:D :D :D

sweety

1st Jul 2004, 17:10

So we have come to a conclusion and we understand that:

1) People who work for Astraeus know it is the best airline to work for.

2) People who have left Astraeus know that it is not. (not talking about those who achieved so much they had to leave here)

Maybe we should just not say anything else? Everybody is happy in the end of the day.

It is not like anybody has to prove anything, is it?

;)

flyingangel

6th Jul 2004, 08:31

hi
i worked for astraeus last year and enjoyed working there although i did leave 5 months into the contract and had to pay back 600 even though i hadnt been given a contract from 6 months onwards. nice airline to work for though

aeulad

7th Jul 2004, 16:58

Give me Freetown over Orlando, NY or Hong Kong ANY DAY!

I went a few weeks back, am off again on Friday and again in July. I have been flying for nearly 3 years now, and FNA has been the best nightstop of my career!

The people are friendly, the local ex-pats more than willing to welcome the crews into their community, the Hotel is fine and the food and drink is dirt cheap!

I was so sad to leave the place after what felt like a holiday, I met some great people, had great fun, swam in the atlantic ocean, ate lobster for peanuts and saw things that made me think how lucky I am! Give me FNA over shopping in NY or partying in OZ anytime, a truly worthwhile and very priveliged experience for the AEU crews!

Regards

Mike

titmitch

9th Jul 2004, 13:27

Once again it has been a while since i was last on here, but haven't you all been busy bees!!

FLOATY - I would just like to answer a few of your points. Cabin crew being to scared to let on who they are on this forum is rubbish. Most people who work for AEU know who i am including my managers, also this is supposed to be an annoymous forum so you don't have to let on who you are. Nobody has been sacked for making personnal touches to the PA's. And you obviously haven't been flying that long if you've never heard of flying colours, or that could be my mistake and that you're actually taking the p***!!

SKYCHICK2003 - It doesn't surprise me that you agree with some of the things that floaty ( who has not worked for the company ) says. Whenever i see you name you're not usually saying anything nice.

SWEETY - although your post was short and sweet like yourself i agree with what you put!:)

PURITAN - If i could see you i would like to shake you by the hand. It is nice to know that someone else can come on here and get there facts right:ok:

Just to put everyone in the picture. Yes the 757 we currently have isn't brand spanking new but its also not falling apart either. I've flown on far worse aircraft. W are getting a newer one in the future:D

I've done 2 freetown trips. They have been very good and wouldn't mind keep doing them. Like has already been said there are nice beaches, food and drink is cheap and the hotel facilities are very good considering where it is.

And finally i would just like to say to those people that aren't happy life is what you make it, if you're not happy then do something to change it:p
Please don't make this forum as bitter as what the flyjet one was.:{ :{

London Jets

9th Jul 2004, 16:05

titmitch

Well put. I joined AEU at the beginning of May and am finding it a great company. I was told all about the company before I came, I did my reaserch on the company and thought it would be the right move for me, so far I am right and I've not looked back.

Look forward to flying with you (if I haven't done already!!)

LJ

Puritan

10th Jul 2004, 09:44

titmitch ( now if ever there was an apt name that's got to be it :ok: ) you can shake me by whatever you want my dear. ;)

itsinthebag

10th Jul 2004, 10:33

LOL! Theres a lot of toys being thrown out of a lot of prams around here!!

Everyone has a right to choose who the work for, and those choices should be respected by everyone.

Just one thing tho - to quote Flymeboy

IT WOULD BE AWFUL IF EVERYONE LOOKED LIKE PEOPLE AT BA

Hmmm, a sweeping generalisation if ever is saw one. What do we all look like at BA then?

Zulu

10th Jul 2004, 20:16

http://www.britishairways.com/cms/global/images/content/rhs/150by90/keptou.jpg

Well, you did ask...:D

itsinthebag

10th Jul 2004, 21:31

ZULU honey, we're doing Julien Macdonald now - and we've not worn the hats with the Costelloe uniform for years! Good response tho!;)

flymeboy

11th Jul 2004, 07:47

Hi Guys! What I meant by that comment is everytime I have flown with BA or a BA francise partner/carrier, the crew have ALL looked completely miserable and not wanting to be there and not given the best customer service! But I am sure (or hope) that some BA crew aren't like that!

FMB xxx

flyblue

11th Jul 2004, 10:09

You have been extemely unlucky. I fly BA frequently and never experienced the mood you describe.
But that was not the topic of the thread, so....

titmitch

11th Jul 2004, 14:44

well said flyblue. :ok:
I have to say the ba uniform is very smart.
But back tyo the point in hand. its funny how the peoplei paid compliments to have responded back;)
Like i said before, lets not turn this forum into bitch fest.:uhoh:

London Jets

11th Jul 2004, 17:32

Has anyone established whether Floaty has actually worked for AEU, he/she seems to avoid the question. Just a minor point I thought I'd mention.

titmitch I hope you were not refering to me with your last post! Anyway lets keep it positive guys and girls!!

LJ

Trol E Doll

11th Jul 2004, 19:21

If you do a search for all postings by Floaty, you can see an Autralian who came to UK, worked for First Choice, then appears to have possibly moved to BA.

In June she posted ....
I left Air2000 recently and decided to treat myself a little... so I got a job with that airline displaying a blue and red ribbon thingy on the aircraft' tail... you know the one, don't you?...

and then a few weeks later posted...

.Finally, I was thinking about Virgin Atlantic.

quickly followed by

No risk FBW! I got rejected by Virgin... I wasn't virgin enough I guess

Why that qualifies her to pass the sort of comments posted on this thread on Astraeus, GB airways and the various other airlines she has taken a pop at is open to debate.

London Jets

12th Jul 2004, 17:01

Trol E Doll

So basically Floaty has never worked for Astraeus. That figures as She has no clue as to what She is writing about. I would like to see what Her response is now!!!! So basically, Floaty came here, worked for First Choice and we don't know where She works now. With an attitude like She has it does seem surprising that anyone would turn her down, don't you think!!!! :}

LJ

BTW, Trol E Doll are you at AEU as well?

titmitch

13th Jul 2004, 18:44

hi london jets. No i wasn't refering to you.
Floaty sounds like a bitter person who obviously didn't have a
nice time at her previous airline.:(

flybywire

13th Jul 2004, 20:06

Hi....
I don't want to go on for hours and hours, but I thought I would clarify a few points.
Floaty is actually a friend of mine, isn't Australian, worked at First Choice with me for over a year and yes she was bitter when she resigned, but I tell you 99% of people who worked for that company have become bitter! I used to love this job and first choice (better, the cabin crew managers and the way we were treated as "easy replaceable rather than valued assets to be retained and developed") made me really angry at times, so much that I wasn't able to sleep during my night SBYs for the fear of having to face another flight in the pink and fluffy world.
My enthusiasm is back thanks to British Airways and so is Floaty's.

She's starting with BA soon too and it's true she applied to some airlines and was succesful with some and not succesful with others. She's a lovely girl, I admit sometimes her tongue expresses her ideas with a not too happy choice of words, but she doens't mean bad. She's very spontaneous (maybe too much) and she just tells what she perceives to be the truth.
Everybody does that, using different ways. We all have our personalities.

Please I would love not to see any personal attacks on this forum. I know I am not the moderator but it's not nice for me to read of people at each other's throat all the time.
She might be wrong about Astraeus, I don't know anything about the company (apart from the 757: it used to be air2000's then went to av8air and it's not in a good condition!:yuk: ) but if she is and you think you're right, why attack her? She's just expressing her opinion or, as I said, what she perceives to be the truth.
Why attack HER? Why don't you simply prove the contrary of what she says?

Take care and don't spend time worrying about her life too much...if you knew her you'd probably like her anyway...she's fun!!

Ciao

FBW:)

(no hard feelings please!! :ouch: )
;)

aeulad

13th Jul 2004, 20:39

757 is not in good condition!

G-OAVB is in sound aeronautical condition. The cabin IS a little tired looking, but it is operated with 36 inches of legroom and the passengers love it!

Regards

Mike

London Jets

13th Jul 2004, 22:22

flybywire

I have no problems in people airing thier opinions at all. The problem I have is with people who have clearly no clue as to what they are talking about. Sometimes people believe that thier opinion is the truth - especially if they keep expressing it. What I don't understand is how someone who has never worked for Astraeus can put them down and slag them off? Maybe she got turned down by them? Or perhaps she turned them down? But having never worked for them how can she talk about them? whether it is positive or negative she can't give any accurate opinion can she?

I hope that She is a nice person, and as you say if I ever met her I may well like her, but from what I know of her I'm afraid I have judged her on what I perceive to be the truth. I hope that I am wrong, but I'm afraid she has not done herself any favours.

For your information, I have flown for 6 years now, and my flying career to date is as follows, British Airways short haul and then long haul, made redundant from BA after 9-11, and then I joined European Aviation Air Charter, from where I was made redundant again - along with 560 other staff, yes I admit I am bitter about it, but not about the company, I loved EAAC and the people I worked with. I have joined Astraeus this year.

LJ

flybywire

14th Jul 2004, 18:57

LJ, I accept your opinion and I don't disagree with it.
What I would love to see though is good examples about AEU, I would love to read of things that prove the opposite of what she, or anybody else, might say.
I know nothing about AEU and for me all this is quite confusing.

As for your flying career, I am really sorry you've been part of the future size and shape evictions and of the fall of European.
I am bitter about FCA and so is she, not because we were made redundant (we left by our own choice and couldn't wait to do so, JUST because we've been treated like s**t.

So many management problem at FCA, if I told you the story, which is the reason why I left, the stress their incapability of handling that situation put me under, you would go and sue them straight away. In fact, I think I might do that myself.

Maybe you're right, I am not bitter,I know I am right as per the law and I am angry!!!

As for Floaty, just ignore her comments if you find them irritating.....or as I said before, please give us some good examples about AEU!!!!!!!!! The aviation industry is in such a shape we really need some positive thoughts.

Ciao

FBW:)

ladies and gentlemen

15th Jul 2004, 10:13

Well flybywire you asked for something positive about AEU, Here goes. I joined AEU on the first course as main crew and then got Senior offered on the course. I had the privelage of operating on the C.A.A proving flight then became a clasroom instructor with the company. I no longer work for the company so my opinions are not biased at all. from the interview day I found the company to be nothing but professional. The management team and cabin crew manager at the time all worked extremely hard to create an airline with an extremely good product and and above all an excellent safety culture.

titmitch

22nd Jul 2004, 14:21

Hi FBW
I've been with Astraeus since Jan 2003. And in that time I've seen the company increase in size quite dramatically. Yes some of the routes aren't like your usual but thats what makes it that little bit more exciting:)
I think that for a company that is only 2 and half years old we're doing very well. Keep up the good work guys
As for people, including myself, that have made comments about floaty it is simply because she made comments on something she actually knows nothing about. Thats like coming on here and slatting BA when I've never worked for them.
As for the aircraft The rear galley is small, but it we have had a 36 inch seat pitch put in and its not a bad aircraft to work on:ok:

titmitch

27th Jul 2004, 14:05

pat mustard just to let you know that all the crew are bonded for £600 when they first start and are informed of this, if you choose to leave before your temporay contract is up then you have to pay it, but people are told about this. And as for other airlines you must always load the flights that are doing long haul so no wonder the crew are happy. If the crew really were not happy when they got on board then it would reflect on the passengers and it doesn't.

Doors to Manual

27th Jul 2004, 17:19

patmustard, you say on this thread that you work on the ground for a lot of different airlines. You say on the thread in the main forum about MyTravel redundancies that you work on the A320/A330 for MyTravel at Gatwick. Which is it?

Given this mismatch, innocent bystanders could be forgiven for thinking that the only reason for your post is to cause trouble. Why?

I've never worked for AEU but have a number of friends there. Although the grass may always be greener elsewhere, what they've said of AEU is generally a very different story to the one that you are telling. Their 757 is permanent and all of my friends there said the training was better than other airlines that they'd worked for.

-----------------

After posting this, patmustard's posting on the MyTravel redundancy thread has suddenly disappeared and re-appeared under another user name - none other than sammyhostie3!!! Did you post under the wrong one of your various user names then? You've already made your views on AEU clear in previous postings under your sammyhostie3 user name, so why are you feeling the need to "dress up" as someone else to come back for another AEU-bashing session? I think you've been caught out, my friend.

SPFlyer

27th Jul 2004, 17:31

Doors to Manuel.....Impressive detective work my friend.

Are you sure you dont work for AEU??. I heard different. I may be far afield but the AEU jungle drums still reach me loud and clear....;)

flybywire

27th Jul 2004, 19:00

I bet it's just her and her fiance sharing the same computer, with two different usernames.

My boyfriend is a pilot and he's very often on pprune. I sometimes log on, i try to post something only to discover that he didn't log off and his name is showing so I have to log off and log in again with my name.

There wouldn't be anything bad if this is what really happened to sammyhostie3 (always give the benefit of the doubt) but when posts (especially "important" ones) disappear without any explanation...I start smelling burnt.

It's amazing how you feel and want to believe that people are honest only to smash your face onto it after a while.
I think it's just a matter of life, and pprune is surely a world in miniature.

sammyhostie3

27th Jul 2004, 19:02

Hi FBW,

We do indeed share the same PC, and always get our usernames mixes up, so I apologise guys.

Rest assured I will check incredously now before I post!

flybywire

27th Jul 2004, 19:13

Hi SH3 apologies for being a bit harsh but it's happened before some people have filled the forum with posts that belonged to the same person unders different user names just to gain people's attention as well as with other aims.

I know that when people share the same computer it's very easy to get confused-my boyfriend is the lazy type and only rarely logs off. He's the one who doesn't even check his own name when he posts and one day, when I forgot to log off, he posted something about CRM on air2bob site under my name...It was so technical that my ex-colleagues started asking me whether I was studying to become a crm trainer myself :uhoh: :hmm:

Take care.

Ciao

FBW:)

Doors to Manual

27th Jul 2004, 23:22

SPFlyer, your profile indicates that you're in Sussex so not that far afield, surely? I have absolutely no idea who you are, so not sure what you're angling at. As for detective work, I just happened to log on and see patmustard's name on the "most recent post" thingy on the login page after reading the post under the same name here...but it had vanished by the time I'd gone back.

I see there appears to be an innocent explanation, but I reserve judgement. Unless you're the geezer running the coffee shop downstairs in Concorde House (patmustard - are you?), I can't think of any ground company which services all of the airlines that patmustard names or would come into contact with their crews, so I maintain my suspicions that patmustard is no-one other than sammyhostie3 having another go.

Puritan

28th Jul 2004, 08:28

patmustard

W.r.t. I work in LGW on the ground for a lot of different airlines and i have found AEU to be one of the worst.

Err, one of the worst for what ?

W.r.t. When the crews turn up for there flts they look so fed up and depressed, a complete change of attitude compared to the other airlines ie;MYT,FCA,MON,EXEL who all seem to be very pleased to work for there airlines.

Uhm, that's a purely subjective opinion ( or are you a psychologist ? ) of which ‘looks can be deceptive’ and of which I feel happy to contradict you because. when I'm in the crew room and / or on the bus on the way out the aircraft and / or onboard the aircraft, the cabin crew are invariably chatting merrily away and seem quite happy to be working at AEU ( and I’ll bet we’ll soon be getting a flood of applicants from MYT ).
That said, and to be fair, some do have the occasional moan-up about the exact same things that all airline crews moan about – typically working too hard ( summer ) or not working enough ( winter ), etc. - but to paint it that they’re all fed-up / depressed is simply not true.

W.r.t. My fiance used to work for AEU, and ended up leaving after a few months because it was so unorganised and had £600 taken out of her last pay packet so be aware!

I very much doubt that it is as you say ( i.e. leaving because AEU was ‘unorganised’ ) wherein if you give us her name I’ll check behind the scenes to see what the real reason was for her leaving ( typically it’s that people can’t or won’t cut the mustard – if you’ll excuse the pun on your nom de plume ); and thanks for reminding people to be ‘aware’ but, needless to say, if one reneges on ones contract ( wherein one assumes your fiancé did read it before she signed it ? ), penalties apply; There, and now I’ve said it too ( again ) !

W.r.t The training isnt very good, how to serve tea and coffee is not the only duties a cabin crew member should be conversent in. The saftey off the pax is top priority and that is what is not taught by AEU. . – ( a bit like spelling at your school ?!..... I digress ).

As yours is 2nd hand view-point, via your fiancé ( somebody who reneged on the contract she signed after only a couple of months ), I fail to understand how you can say this because it totally contradicts what I see 1st hand.
E.g. Prior to every flight the Cabin Crew revisit items pertaining to cabin safety & drills and, empirically, they know their stuff because we’ve had our share of in-flight problems wherein the cabin crew team have been exemplary in their knowledge and execution of the safety drills – as further proved by numerous complementary pax responses to that fact ( not that you’d be aware of that ).

Similarly they have to attend recurrent / refresher / renewal training, as do we pilots, and are periodically assessed ( in flight ) by ‘Cabin Crew Standards Coordinators’.

Furthermore, the whole operational is regularly audited by both our customers and the regulator ( i.e. the CAA ) where these checks have, thus far, resulted in fairly minimal comment / glowing reports w.r.t. the standard that is both set and achieved.

W.r.t. As for the 757 it is only there for a couple of months in the summer.

ROFLOL !!! Actually, the real word on the street is that we might be getting yet more B757’s ! ( … just ask the engineers or the cleaners ) ;)

W.r.t. working on a 737 for a 6+ hours with no ife is no fun.

Might I say that there seems to be some muddled thinking here, i.e. what has IFE ( InFlight Entertainment ) got to do with the roll of a cabin crew member ? Surely, as you say, the cabin crew are primarily in the cabin to address the safety of the pax - and not to be watching IFE – you can’t have it both ways can you ?
In any event, by way of analogy, one might similarly imagine that standing under a wing pumping fuel when it’s chucking down and / or windy and / or freezing cold, etc is similarly ‘no fun’ but, hey, not every day is like that, is it ?!

Aside - Our summer season sector length presently averages at 3:47, or thereabouts.

patmustard

28th Jul 2004, 16:08

puritan.

You should be in-charge of recruitment they sound a fantastic airline to work for.
If you enjoy it then that is good but dont think they are the best thing since sliced bread.
you have your opinion and i will have mine.

Oh and by the way standing under a wing all day might be good for some as the big fat pay packet can keep me warm.

Doors to Manual

28th Jul 2004, 16:23

Err Sammy / patmustard, are you mysteriously getting your user-names mixed up again?? :* :* :*

Puritan

28th Jul 2004, 16:33

patmustard you're certainly entitled to your opinion ( also remembering that you don't actually work at AEU ) and, as you say, I'm entitled to mine ( wherein I do work there ).

I don't think that AEU are the best thing since sliced bread, indeed I believe there is room for improvement - [aside] imho, the two best airlines that I've worked for were Air Europe and GoFly - but wherein I hope that AEU will eventually have some of the better parts of both of these ( it certainly should do as most of the people running AEU have backgrounds in both of these aforementioned carriers ).... so, give it time.

Nb. AEU, has gone from zero to 8 aircraft and over 300 staff all in only 2 years 4 months !

patmustard

28th Jul 2004, 17:57

Yes very good so where can i buy a ticket for travel on AEU?

flymeboy

28th Jul 2004, 18:30

Patmustard

If you knew anything about AEU, you would know that AEU doesnt sell tickets itself, you would have to go to one of the companies/tour operaters that charter them. Try looking on their website - it lists all the companies/tour operaters there!

FMB xx

patmustard

28th Jul 2004, 19:01

Why cant i buy a ticket from AEU directly or do they only do the stuff the big boys dont want to do?

flymeboy

28th Jul 2004, 19:16

I dont like its in their business plan to sell tickets direct!

Its like can u buy tickets for Titan Airways or Flight Line!

When I was employed by AEU, we did alot of work for "the big boys" ie mytravel and helping out other scheduled carriers when their aircraft broke down! Also they have proved to be better than the other airline that also fly the oil contracts! Numberous times the crew were told by the pax that we were nicer, friendly and more professional than the other carrier!

Good luck to Astraeus is what I shall and all the crew that sail on her (or him!)

FMB xx

patmustard

28th Jul 2004, 19:50

Did you pay your bond back?

On a serious note are you still in the industry and do you enjoy, and learnt alot from your experieneces?

green-eyedbabe

28th Jul 2004, 20:06

I've been browsing for a while and never wanted to comment but I must say that Astraeus training course was excellent and the safety is excellent so no one can touch them for that.

I'm no longer crew for them but that isn't because I didn't make the grade before anyone starts on that issue.

They are certainly not the best to work for in terms of cabin crew, having all your commission taking away is not nice especially when we worked so hard earning that money, and I always smiled and done my job to the best of the ability.

There are a few lazy crew there as well and please take a look and you will see who works hard and who doesn't.

Other than that the management is fine and lovely and I've never had any problems, just a few crew who are lazy and money being taken away for no reason. I would say it is an overall nice company if you take those 2 things away.

Please please don\'t attack me for this but get computerised bars, so the crew don\'t have to look after the galley, serve their rows and count the bars on 1.5 hour flights(what a nightmare).

Other than that the standards of safety are excellent at Astraeus and long may it continue.

Puritan

28th Jul 2004, 21:09

patmustard - Astraeus is an 'independent' charter airline.

This, in part, means that it is not directly associated with a 'vertically integrated' operation, e.g. such as, say, MyTravel, that might have travel agents in the High Streets, and an in-house airline to fly their passengers, and affiliated hotels in resorts, and resort reps, etc, veritably the rack’m high sell’m cheap type operations ( which I’ll admit is something of a product generalisation ).

Likewise AEU is not a scheduled service operator ( albeit AEU might supply seat capacity to a travel agent customer that is selling what amounts to scheduled service ).

Accordingly, AEU provides: Contracted seat capacity to the smaller 'independent / specialist travel companies' – where these companies are somewhat loath to fly their customers ( the passengers ) on a competitors airline and / or that their sales volume / bookings are such that they couldn’t fill the larger type of aircraft that’s typically in use with the vertically integrated carriers.

Contracted seat capacity to the energy supply industry ( i.e. the folks searching / developing oil & gas fields ) in typically far flung / remote destinations. This is very much ‘thin route / small load’ stuff, but one which demands high levels of onboard service ( veritably business class ) - hence why AEU now use a B757 with IFE and only 186 seats @ 36” seat pitch for these flights.

Contracted ‘thin-route’ capacity for the vertically integrated operations, i.e. the big holiday companies contract AEU to operate flights ( i.e. using 148 seat B737’s ) where it would not be economical to operate these trips using their own in-house ( typically much larger ) aircraft.

Various ad-hoc charter requests – typically during the shoulder seasons and, again, where the loads tend to be light and / or specialised.

AOC hosting - such as for Iceland Express where AEU supply (two) B737’s and pilots ( and IE supply their own Icelandic lovelies as cabin crew ). In any event AEU do not sell direct to the general Public – there’s no need to and it’s not part of the business plan..

I hope this helps to explain the whys and wherefores as to why you can’t procure a ticket direct from AEU.

Nb. You can see some the companies who contract with AEU by navigation the links under ‘Where we fly to (http://www.flyastraeus.com)’ menu item – where this is not a definitive listing.

green-eyedbabe - just seen your post ( hence the edit ).

The present in-flight sales system is supposedly going to be replaced with a computerised one. Indeed, from what I understand of it, this will begin to happen after this / '04 summer season has finished ( Nb. It'd be pandemonium to attempt to introduce it in the summer ). It is to be hoped that this new system will take a lot of the angst out what happens presently and will aid & abet speedy in-flight sales as well as improve the accuracy of pre-flight / post-flight stocktaking and reconciliation.

The other issue you mention can only be addressed by directing it through the relevant management channels – though I’ll admit that it could prove to be controversial. :rolleyes:

SPFlyer

28th Jul 2004, 21:44

can anyone remember the original question?

nah, didnt think so.

boring.........:zzz:

patmustard

29th Jul 2004, 16:03

puritan.

Spoken like a true comical director!

Sorry i mean commercial.

Jonathan Hinkles

29th Jul 2004, 16:50

I can assure you that Puritan is not me. I know who it is and he does work for Astraeus and has been with the company since its launch, but he certainly isn't the Commercial Director! [Or any other director or manager for that matter.]

patmustard

29th Jul 2004, 18:44

Its amazing what you can disguise yourself as on here, no one need ever know.

Fascinating what you can learn!

green-eyedbabe

29th Jul 2004, 19:30

There is no such thing as a perfect airline but What I don't want to hear is that safety is not good at Astraeus it is by far a very big priority and we didn't even touch on how to serve tea or coffee. We were far to busy learning about safety of the passengers. Forget the tea and coffee!!

patmustard

29th Jul 2004, 19:37

We have nothing else to do on a plane to Sierra Leone apart from make tea & coffee and another hot towel service at t.o.d.

green-eyedbabe

29th Jul 2004, 19:45

I believe you might be bitter about something, like I said I worked for Astraeus and aside a couple of things you can't say anything bad about them really, they do offer a good service and safety is A PRIORITY.. yes there are some lazy crew that put me off flying with them but most of the older staff (been there a while), do work hard and are so nice and helpful..

Leave Astraeus alone pat musturd, honestly they don't deserve to be sl**** off.

patmustard

29th Jul 2004, 19:54

Well most crew when joining there first airline think that it is the best one.

It is only when you live-with and start to know other crews from different airlines that you begin to question what you havent taught!!!

That is what I am saying.

green-eyedbabe

29th Jul 2004, 20:03

What do you mean? have you worked for Astraeus?

I don't believe in perfect airlines.

Puritan

29th Jul 2004, 23:23

patmustard, across a period of 19 years I, personally, have only worked for 4 different airlines - in all manner of roles – does that count as experience enough to be able to tell the difference between what’s good and what’s bad ?

Aside - might one ask how many airlines it is that you have worked for and longevity therein – though not in your capacity for pumping fuel into wings, but more so in your roll as either cabin crew, or maybe as a pilot, or maybe as an instructor of these people ? I only ask because I’m sure that many are curious as to your bonefide’s that seemingly enable you to make such fanciful statements;

In any event one gets the feeling that you’re really little more than a wind-up merchant, either that or bitter and twisted about something, as exhibited by the fact that when reasoned and factual responses are put forward you simply continue to rant and espouse absolute garbage; Uhm, maybe it’s someat’ to do with all those JetA fumes out on the ramp ?! – what do you reckon, Wayne ?

Cheers.

Ps. Jonathan thanks for confirming that you are not me – indeed, via a quick bit of mental dead reckoning, I would guess that when I was joining Air Europe ( at LGW ) in 1985, that you were soon to be moving from junior to high school – all of which suddenly makes me feel very old. :ugh:

Dogs_ears_up

30th Jul 2004, 13:03

Puritan you're wasting your time posting facts and logic I fear! I've watched you wage a lone battle against a tidal wave of stupidity for some time now: I'm afraid that some people simply don't want to know- There are none so blind as those that choose not to see.

Floaty, sammyhostie3 and patmustard IMHO represent all that is least attractive about UK Cabin Crew. Minimal experience, minimal understanding of the subject and industry, an inability to appreciate their own limitations and sufficient free time to make a nuisance of themselves. The good news is that in all likelihood, they will all have disappeared from the industry within a few years... Or, sadly, will be adding to BA's catalogue of woes!

In the almost 25 years that I've been flying down the back (for an Astraeus competitor) I've seen them come, and go, and have learned that discussion is pointless. Those of us who have been around the block a few times know the score; you are not alone.

In answer to the oroginal post - yes, join Astraeus. You could do both worse, and better, depending on how you define both. At least you'll know if the crew life is for you..

I expect that there will be a degree of furious response to this - I won't be replying further, so the field is free for the kids to play in the sandpit