Eujet Pilots Are Leaving

[wingtit]

The first two of fifty five pilots have handed in their notice this week at EUJET.
This does not come as a shock as these guys are the worst paid commercial Jet Airline Pilots in the UK. There has been no pay rise since the airline started over two years ago, and no hint of one to come. This has put morale at rock bottom and the pilots think they are working for a no hope airline, with no incentive to stay they are all trying to get out.
I hear that 80% of the captain's, first and second officers are all desperately seeking other Jobs (BA, THOMSANFLY, JET2, CATHAY, DRAGONAIR).
With an annual wage of
Captains Less than £50,000 per year
F/O Less than £30,000 per year
S/O less than £22,000 per year
WHO CAN BLAME THEM
GOOD LUCK

WINGTIT

[Dash-7 lover]

Wingtit, I don't think they're the worst paid in the UK.....Probably another case of pilots with delusions of grandure again and think the grass is green on the other side. As far as no payrise on two years...I wouldn't expect it for a start-up airline......????

[Flap42]

Well Dash, you are right the grass is always greener, however I think the point that wingtit is trying to make is valid.

1. There is no published pay scale; some pilots of the same grade are paid diff amounts. The pay what little there is of it, is normally wrong and trying to work out what you should have been paid is very difficult.

2. There has been no cost of living pay increase for over two years.

3. For a low cost jet airline the basic pay is not even close to the going rate. Well below Flybe/Jet2/baby/.

4. Management will not even comment about pay terms or conditions.

5. With a very buoyant pilot job market these days, this means that the pilots will just go to other airlines in droves as they are already doing.

6. Morale is low and wingtit is right there is no incentive to stay any more.

[Nakata77]

IT AMAZES ME WHY ANYONE WOULD WANT TO WORK FOR THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE.

IS ANYONE SURPRISED BY THE PAY SCALES? OR THE LACK OF BENEFITS? THEY BARELY FILL 45% OF THE PLANES.

[wingandprayer]

If you start at the bottom, then the only way is up. If you are deperate to get a foot in the door and have tried everyone else and get no replies, you will naturally work for the first one that offersyou a job. You then build hours whilst looking for something decent. I know people who were so deserate for a job they paid for type ratings and fly at air asia. These guys are british to boot.
Some people are not lucky enough to start at the top!

[PBD 1]

However there is a remarkable number of quality beaches nearby...just been paid so I splashed out on a 99 with a flake and nuts and juice on..wicked!:ok:

[wingtit]

The foulest beach in Thanet has been at Ramsgate, it failed the quality assessment standard every year from at least 1988 thru' to 2005.
Quality I don’t think so.

[The Real Slim Shady]

The first two of fifty five pilots have handed in their notice this week at EUJET

So that means that 53 haven't handed in their notice. 4% - ish have handed in their notice, 96% - ish haven't. 22% voted Labour. Lies, damned lies and statistics.

This has put morale at rock bottom

Perhaps certain other issues have contributed to this? The departure of the majority of the management who set the company up in the first place: reputation is everything in aviation, money isn't.

This has put morale at rock bottom

Sorry to repeat myself, but you are 12 months too late to use that old chestnut.

the pilots think they are working for a no hope airline

Still only thinking? No concrete evidence?

[niknak]

I would wager that those who havent resigned are those who are just biding their time until they have enough hours on the fleet to apply for better jobs elsewhere.

Equally, there are probably a large number of junior captains and F/Os on turboprop only airlines (such as Eastern) who are waiting for such opportunities to get a job with a pure jet fleet airlines such as EU Jet, in fact, I know that to be the case.

It's nothing to do with any great drama, but more to do with the reallity of the cyclic nature of the pilot employment market.

[The Real Slim Shady]

Niknak, A sensible interpretation. No crisis, no drama, just the way of the world. Life, as we know it.

As things stand though it looks like ATRs may be the lifeboat for EUjet as the F100 is losing them money by the barrowload due to the LFs. Perhaps the prospect of flying turboprops again is the itch which the first few have scratched.

[wingtit]

Fly turboprops again.
Why don't you go and fly TurboProps again SLIM MAN.

[ecj]

The risk new ex-turbo prop pilots are faced with would be having to pay [money back bond scheme] for a jet type rating with any new start-up outfit which does not last the course. The old style bond should remove the risk from the pilot.

At least with a Boeing/Airbus type rating, plenty of other opportunities exist.

[bmibaby.com]

I'm not really sure why The Real Slim Shady said;

As things stand though it looks like ATRs may be the lifeboat for EUjet as the F100 is losing them money by the barrowload due to the LFs. Perhaps the prospect of flying turboprops again is the itch which the first few have scratched.

The ATR would not be capable of operating EUJet's most popular routes, which are the leisure routes to Spain & Portugal. These routes, which are popular from most airports, would have much higher costs with a 66-seat prop than 100, obviously because there's less seats to spread the costs out across, and I'm not even sure if they have the range.

I do agree that the aging Fokkers aren't very economic for the airline, but I don't see a better type for them. The 717 is out of production, and the larger Airbus/Boeing types would simply be too big for them.

[The Real Slim Shady]

bmibaby,

I agree that the most popular routes are beyond the capability of the ATR, however, popular doesn't mean profitable.

The parent group has just sold another asset in Liverpool to provide more funds to keep the airline going; £4.9 mill earmarked apparently, on top of the money raised in December - around £20 mill.

It would make more sense to run smaller more efficient aircraft on routes which generate higher yields, not necessarily the most popular, rather than draw contrails in the skies of Europe with the latest cash injection.

The summer popularity on leisure routes to the sun doesn't help during the winter; even the big players rely on profits during the summer to offset reduced yields in the winter. It is better to run the airline based on surviving the winter than surviving the summer.

I agree that there are few "cheap " jets as an alternate to the F100: hence the ATR solution; 30% fewer seats than a 100 but the operating costs must be substantially better.

As for wingtit - I firmly believe that a spell on high density turboprop routes provides inexperienced pilots with great base to build on; that and the financial benefit to the company makes it a sensible option. Certain people may not want to go back to turboprops having worked hard to get a jet rating, but if it is a turboprop or no job, there really is no choice.

[Kiwi red]

I've been hearing that they may be looking at wet leasing again, if the Summer doesn't go wel! Probably not in Italy after last year. As for the ATR's if they work then great, they'll let the F100 get on with the longer routes. Like everything it's all speculation.........

[matching]

My understanding is that one pilot went to Hong Kong without dealing with his bond, the company is not happy about that and who can blame them.

One pilot has had family trouble and asked for time off and the company was very helpful and he is happy.

One pilot has been off sick for an extended period and he is coming back and the company held his job for him and he is happy.

This is a good company to work for; has anyone followed what it’s like working for Ryanair?

[unionslave]

....a good place to work for?
....are we talking about the same eujet in manston?

Pfizer`s polution in sandwich seems to be causing some interesting sideaffects on some people...or would you be shannon based?

i have never ever worked for a more disjointed organisation before. the moral is rock bottom.
as for only a couple of people leaving, dont forget the others over the last year, totalling at least a dozen.
add to that most of the senior management in snn which has been replaced also....

as for the bond issue of one of our chap´s, you seem to be way off the mark. he got shafted just as much as the latest bunch did by our caring HR department.

bless you

[The Real Slim Shady]

As I recall wasn't the "bond" in the case of the individual replaced by a reduced salary. I recall him telling me that he had agreed something along those lines when he joined them.

BTW unionslave, got an Ops Manual yet?

[unionslave]

slim, hope all is well in bru?

op´s manual?
the proof reading has taken a little longer than expected (well, since the middle of last year actually...)

i`m not quite sure about the bond issue you have in mind. it would have to be another one of the hr specials available...

[Flap42]

2 FOs now left in last month, 3 Cpts resigned in last week. Over 50% of pilots have interviews lined up!!!

Could be up SH** creek if they don’t start to recruit now or even better try and retain crew. There is no intent to improve the roster and no hope of a pay rise, combine this with the company route performance and financial position no wonder people are on the way out now.

Can anyone see anything changing for the better?

[bia botal]

can ayone see things changing for the better.


better get me a bucket