Ryanair/Qatar Airways - the choice

[Fly4Fun]

Hello everyone,

I have to make a choice between a job with Ryanair or a job with Qatar Airways.

I would like to know your opinions about that.

Many thanks in advance for your points of view.

[Lavdumperer]

Congrats on having two good offers!

First, two questions for you:

1. What aircraft types or choices at either airline (I presume 737-800 at Ryanair)?

2. Do you prefer warm/dry or cold/wet weather?


Make sure that you conduct a search for Qatar Airways postings - I think I have seen some negative ones in recent months. I have read that Doha is somewhat of a pit - Dubai is much nicer... Qatar Airways, like Ryanair, seems to be expanding quickly - I know it has A380s on the way...

I am sure that Qatar Airways probably pays better too - but then you have to travel if you want to get back to the UK - it's a tradeoff....

What type would you fly at Qatar?

[FlyHigher]

Thanks Lavdumperer.

Actually i'm flying the 737, but i'm also type rated on the A300/600.

I'm not sure if the deal at Qatar Airways is better than Ryanair, because it's a tax free salary.
As you said, Qatar is expanding quickly just like Ryanair, so the perspectives are very good, at least i think so.

At Qatar i would fly the A300/600.

Lavdumperer,

As you probably see,
I have put a reply on the topic of Fly4fun. Thats because we work on the same company and we are with the same problem in chosing a job.

Many thanks again.

[stagefright]

congrats on the job.

it depends on what you want.
i know 12 ryanair pilots all in their 20s, and all say the same thing that they will do 5 years which will see them get 5000hrs 3000 of which will be command and then try and get a job with a major carrier. they all say they get treated very badly by the company but it is paid well £3000ish a month take home and they are home every night but it is very hard work. the roster is 5 on 3 off and that is set in stone.
personaly i would take qatar and get wide body experience with all the perks of a major whilst being only 6 hours from london which is nothing.
if you dont like it you will be even more employable but you would have to speak to someone who flies for them. plus emirates isnt far from doha.
one of our cabin crew used to work for qatar and she enjoyed it.
if you go with ryan you will only see ****ty airports for half an hour at a time go with qatar and you will nightstop in great cities with lots of girls

[FlyHigher]

Thanks Stagefright

I think you right.
I also think that the carreer perspectives at Qatar are better.

[basil fawlty]

Qatar is the answer to your question.
An ex collegue of mine is there and has no complaints. The "new" DFO (DF) has cleaned things up quite a bit, also lots of new a/c and interesting routes on the way, much better than euro transits as mentioned earlier.
Ryan are slave drivers. 6 months there and you will never want to step on to an aircraft again.....

[Dan Winterland]

I think Stagefright is implying that you can't work forever at the rate which Ryanair flys you. The cash and the hours are fine, but no use to you if you can't enjoy them.

[stagefright]

dear bendigo

i obviously offended you which i appologise. iwas only giving my opinion to someone elses question not trying to start an arguement about ryan. if you read what i wrote it is actually very honest and i think i mentioned a few good things about the company. but!!!! i do know alot of people there and maybe it is only pub talk but they do complain that fr treat them badly. they dont complain about the money or short time to command just the way they are treated. why dont you answer the persons question instead of jumping on your soap box.
you probably wont read this as i have been away on a trip and it is ten days old ******!:D

[ILUV2FLY]

Dear Fly4Fun
Ignore the rubbish here from stagefool & basil foolish.
Speaking with some insight, join FR if u want a long term
profitable career. Join Quatar if u want a couple of fun years
in the sun!
At FR we work hard but on fixed rosters,issued 4 weeks in adv
with 5/3/4/2 pattern,all earlies or lates,plenty of time off,excell
pay,new a/c and share options booming. Oh yeah and rapid
promotions too! Only downside is reading bulls**t from clowns
like stagefright et al.
Stagefright, dont know if u have any friends, but they dont work
here. If as ur 'friends' say they'll jump after 5 years why are all
the 5,6,7,8,9 and 10 year old veterans still here? Too tired to
leave I presume? Too rich to bother more like!!!!
Perhaps u could explain why 100plus SAS guys showed for
interviews in Cph last week? Oh yeah they were made redundant
..... well I'm sure glad stage/f that I wasnt being so well treated
by this so called major. Finally stagefool, with FR carrying 15m pax this yr, and i believe a target of 20m next, just who are
these so called 'majors' ur 'friends' refer to? Stupid orwhat?

[stagefright]

LISTEN ihav2fly i dont give a **** about fr and i am not slagging them off! i am not lying about how many people i know in fr and if you say you work for them i probably see you in the moon as well!
have i ever said that you didnt get commands early or that you dont get paid lots of cash and speaking about long term employees even ray conway told me it was a young mans job. plus so many foriegners working there because no jobs in their own country dont have ago at me ihav2fly or slag me off was just passing on some info from fr guys to someone asking questions. plus fr isnt considered a major yet but i am sure it will be anyway will be a bit more cautious in future

[CATHAYkid]

have been reading with great interest the banter been thrown around here and i must say i agree with stagefright. iluv2fly you havnt read what he was actually saying at all, someone asked a questin and stage/f seems to be giving his honest opinion he even says that "it might be only pub talk". what we dont need is comments like "if you actually have any friends" there is no need for such aggresion or sarcasim. i know someone in ryan who says not such dissimiliar things! for me qatar would be my choice but what do i know. so iluv2fly belt up:D

[CATHAYkid]

oh yes iluv2fly i forgot to mention, i think what they mean by major is a company which gives you crew transport, meals, first class travel, final salary pensions, kids school fees, free housing, a 12 hour flight once aweek not 5 12 hour days, even free parking shall i go on. but you will probably argue that it will all dissapear and you might be right but grab it whilst you can

[ILUV2FLY]

Perfect end to a 4 sctr day - more idiocy from stagefool.
Still cant produce any evidence of what exactly comprises FR's
so called 'bad treatment' of his so called 'friends'?
So apart from the high pay, the new a/c, the rapid promotions,
the fixed rosters issued 4 weeks in adv, the earlies/2off/lates/3off
xtra pay for flying on days off,and the flying share options, what
the **** stagefool did the romans ever do for u?
Did u get the job with GO or Britt where u do less well than us?
Pls stop profering advice on subjects of which u know squat.
As a current FR pilot I can confirm that satisfaction here is pretty
good right now. Not perfect, but pretty good.
Cant think of any where else that offers better package at present and nor can stageidiot.

P.S. Try changing ur address and typing (suggest using cap shift
key)if u want to re-reg as cathaykid just to support ur own vacuous comments stagefool

[CATHAYkid]

iluv2fly think you lost the plot enjoy tomorrows 4 sectors

[stagefright]

thanx CXkid, ihav2fly you have real problem. almost as crazy as mol

[Long Haul]

I've flown Ryanair four times now, and each time it has cost them more money to transport me and my family than it cost me; and that is the only way I would ever choose them. Four days to receive luggage that didn't make a flight- every flight delayed by at least 30 mins. - sorry but we are out of alcoholic drinks and our credit card machine is broken and blah blah blah.
Ryanair may make money during a slow economy, but there will come a time when businessmen value their time more than their money; and when that time comes Ryanair will never be able to compete.

[White Knight]

LUV2fly - please, this forum is not a mobile phone so don`t use text talk. Fools like me have great difficulty reading your postings.

As to the original problem. QATAR would be the one to go for, no question.:) :)

[ILUV2FLY]

C'mon stage/f, still no details of exactly what the 'bad treatment'
of your 'friends' is? As usual... no facts, no details, just pubgrub!
Typical of the FR-haters, all mouth and no money!!!!

Fly4fun good luck with your decision, my previous advice stands,
all depends on what your looking for. But ignore nonsense from
stage/f or his nom de plume cathaykid - empty vessels etc!

[ILUV2FLY]

Still no facts or details from stage/f-cathay/k?
C'mon post it under either name! Let fly4fun know of all
this 'bad treatment' before he makes up his mind. Lost your
tongue or maybe your 'friends'?
So stage/f apart from the roads, the sanitation,the aquaducts,
the public order and the games what did the romans ever do
for us!!!!!!!

[FlyingIrishman]

Well said, ILUV2FLY, I second that!!!

[stagefright]

ok ihav2fly been on a trip just saw your reply how about you work for a company that makes people pay for their interviews etc and then their type rating! now you will say market forces etc but come on. what about when you convert from 200 to 800 and you have to sign a non reducing 8k bond oh yes and we can move you to any base we like with 7 days notice! they say if you do over x hours a day its £185 sector pay or x hours its £135 but they base it on the unrealistic shedule not what it actualy takes again you will say thats still alot of money but they just turn it to their advantage. how about 15 pilots having done 1100hrs in 11 months not an issue now but it was then. one mate put in for leave told not for next 6 months then gets allocated some he doesnt want. crew food is good i hear. i have never said that fr was a bad company but only said you get treated badly and that is some employees opinion. in the moon this weekend i have been chatting with some of your collegues about our posts and they all said they became pilots to travel and nightstop see the world etc and once they have their commands and a few hours will apply to the majors. so once again qatar would be their choice!

[ILUV2FLY]

Congrats stagefool- 5 posts so far based on total ignorance!
Pay for interviews- gets rid of non-pilots,affects no fr pilot,
its only £50 so big deal for a 60k-100k job
and has no effect on how fr treats 'us'
£8k bond for 800 - no problem, caused by a few deserters 2 year
ago. I signed for it, no sweat.Aint leaving
so no effect whatsoever.
Move base in 7 days- bull! Notice of 4 months for new milan base
slots already filled due to OVERsubscribed
mainly by F/OS being promoted, and good
luck to em. REally bad treatment stage/f!?
Sector pay changes with hours- rubbish! U do 4 or 6 sctrs, no
changes in rate by hours.
Unrealistic sched? Untrue, most on time airline for years. Beating
easys ontimes every week, check their web
15pilots do 1100hrs? Total figment!
No leave for 6 months? Totally untrue
Crew food is good? By far and away the stupidest comment ever
No crew grub on Fr we get xtra sctr pay to
buy our own.Much better system!
Once ur 'friends' have commands their off to the 'majors'.....like...
let me see Qatar who have 13 a/c (6x320, and 7x300s) and oh..
1.5m pax!!!!!!
I think stageidiot that u and ur 'friends' who clearly dont work here, probably just wannabes would fail the basic intelligence test
Try 44 a/c and 15m pax, growing like gangbusters,great pay,great rosters,big options,rapid promos and brand new 800s
if u want a real 'major'. Oh s##t thats Fr ....stagefool idiot!
Fly4fun - my original advice stands, make ur mind up based on facts and what u want, but ignore fools like s/f cos facts are strangers to him and his so called friends!

[tobydessauer]

ILUV2FLY YOU LIVE IN A DREAM WORLD! i fly for fr and stagefright seems pretty acurate with his info! ps i had 1020 in 11 months!!

[millerscourt]

I was amused to hear some one say after a few years of command they would move onto a major carrier!! What major carrier I might ask as there is not one that is likely to be able to offer what a Captain in RyanAir has, if you go overseas there are very few expat companies left and you have to join at the bottom of a seniority list where not always your number even if ypu have one carries any weight and remember you have no employment rights overseas and a certain length of contract is meaningless and you can be got rid of at 3 months notice with no reason given ie Cathay and others.

What about the little wife if you have one if considering Qatar? Likewise if you have children then schooling is a big consideration. Boarding fees overseas will devour all your salary these days,requiring accommodation at your homebase being available as well. Where will the kids go with all these half terms and exeats??

Remember the climate in Qatar is v hot and not everyone can cope with that.

We Pilots sometimes choose the job we prefer without any thought about what the rest of the family has toput up with,which I plead guilty to!!

Qatar Airways always were a bunch of scrooges but maybe they have changed though God knows why they should with the surplus of Pilots these days.

I know nothing about Ryan Air ,only travelled on them once to Dublin and had to hang on tightly when taxying aircraft at great speed tp make I assume the tight schedules!! As someone said a 35 year career at this pace sounds absolutely awful,such is the public demand for cheaper and cheaper travel . I know of no other service which gets cheaper and cheaper year on in,and all at the cost of Pilots quality of life !!