Astraeus
 

I have an interview with Astraeus coming up. Does anyone know what their typical take home pay is for Pursers?

For that matter, does anyone know how many senior crew they are looking for?

Thanks ever so...

Lissy

First of all, search for astraeus under the search function!

Also, PM me or the many other victims before you accept the contract.

And also, Puritan (who is someone big in AEU) will no doubt either post on this or delete this thread, so get in there quick!

Stay away. Better airlines out there. Trust me. Stay away, or you will be forever scarred from this airline.

Cabin crew take home pay £crap
Senior £just as crap.

Good points. I can't think of any, will come back to you on this one.

No such thing as a typical take home pay for SCCM's I'm afraid. Depends on how busy you are, if you are on routes with a good commission (Taba) or night stopping.
Main crew tend to put in more hours than us, although we are running around like headless chickens in the summer, especially when minimum crew on the 737.
I enjoy it. Crews are generally great. I have done shorthaul, longhaul, scheduled & charter, and Astraeus is a joyful bunch of everything with a few surprises for good measure. Admitedly I am at LGW, I don't know where you would be looking to being based.
The grass is always greener on the otherside!:)

malachy8985 - well thought out post, thanks - concise, informative, detailed and relevant.

lissy, hi i just wanted to say, stay away from astraeus, much better airlines out there, Hostessmostess and the rest of the guys know what i mean!!

Hostessmostess - bravo for your lucid and erudite response.

And w.r.t. 'Puritan who is someone big in AEU'..... err, are you being size'ist and thereby having a jab at us chaps of larger stature ?.... ‘coz failing that I’m just a humble line pilot, so I don’t get what you mean and / or understand why your post should be deleted - or are you just bitter and twisted about some'at ?

Puritan,

I purely mean every time someone actually speaks the truth about Astraeus, you delete the thread or try to turn it around! It has happened many times...

Great to see that so many people are actually being honest and open about AEU!

Oh yes and I agree with you Jalite that the phrase "the grass is usually greener" is normally true, but it honestly was a LOT greener when i got out!

Oh Got out believe me! waited until it was safe then ran for the hills! They never sack anybody anyway, they cant afford to.
Instead they make people leave so they can get the £600 out of them!

Hostessmostess; 'got out' or pushed?? Guess thats another debate...

I worked on the ground for AEU, left last April to work overseas. My mrs was a CA for them though, and she had a great time.

We are working in sunnier climes, but i know she still misses the actual flying with the AEU crew. Having worked with them closely for nearly 18 months i can assure you they are a good bunch. ( Give or take a few exceptions!! Every airline has em....!! )

Im sure there are worse flying experinces to be had out there! Give em a break, you will have a good laugh.

I guess the folks ate AEU are tired ( and prob bored ) of these tiresome threads?

Regards to all in Faraday Road....And you Alberville!!

Astraeus
 

Thanks everyone for your replies. A mixed bag of responses really. This bonding business sounds very dodgy to me.

Astraeus
 

Hey there Lissy, I have been at Astraeus for just over a year now, started in Feb 03 and have to say that its GREAT, i know people post comments about how bad it is etc, but bottom line is... its an airline, the pay is good obviously better in the summer than the winter, we are starting to expand and at the LGW base the trips are becoming a little more frequent, yeah there is a bond with Astraeus, and they wont rip you off, its there to cover there backs if u decide to walk off before 6 months, the crew are sooo friendly and easy going, and after a month or so online, u will know most the crew, so that makes it a happier place to work, Go to the interview, the recruiters are really nice, and am sure you will be fine, If you have ANY question at all, please PM me or post on the forum, and will answer the best i can, Hopefuly fly with you soon

Jc

LBA BASE
 

Friend of mine has interview in Leeds on Wednesday - they opening a base there ?

Thanks

Yeah, there leasing a ****ty really old A319 from Lotus air to be based there, to cover the routes MYT lost. The rosters will be dead I would think.. All SBYS..

Not quite sure how you would define a 1996-build former Swissair A319 as either "****ty" or "really old", particularly given that I doubt very much that you've seen the aircraft.

And with a flying programme of at least two flights every day, why on earth would the programme be mostly standbys?

It really doesn't do a lot for the credibility of your other posts or the accuracy (or lack) thereof, but I don't suppose that you care. How many flights did you actually do there anyway when you bothered to turn up for work?

I agree with hostessmostess.

It's not a very good airline to work for, with so much better out there.

I would say apply to every other before astraeus, even ryanair are better!!:p

is that where u went malachy8985

LBA BASE
 

Interesting... so Egyptian S E P then?

:cool:

As it is to be based in the UK and operating under a waiver of permission, the airline leasing in the aircraft has to ensure "equivalent safety". This means operating to JAR-Ops compliant SOP/SEP and also to UK flight time limitations - much as per the First Choice/Air 2000 operation at Cardiff in 2000 where a Lotus A320 did their flying for the full season.

And from reading posts on another BB about this, someone from First Choice reckons they did a very good job too.

No, I didn't end with ryanair, but at least they pay you for the hard work. I'm with BA Eurofleet, LGW. :p :p ,

Got it in the end my friend. you stay at AEU, I will go up in the world. ;)

A great team at Astraeus. Looking forward to an exciting summer programme.

SPflyer - How's Ya! Sorry I missed your last visit. I was in the cold north.


A.

malachy, all the best at BA Gatwick. I know a lot of people there and I know I'm a lot happier at Astraeus than they are at BA LGW.

All this goes to show is that everyone has an airline that is "right" for you. Many people enjoy Astraeus. Some people do not. Many people probably enjoy BA. Some people do not. It's a question of what provides the right balance of roster, pay, fun, recognition by your managers for what you do and variety to suit the life that you want to live. Everyone will have their own view of the "right" balance and if Astraeus wasn't for you, so be it. Draw a line under the experience and move on. I know I did when I left BA, but I'm fortunate to still have a lot of good friends from the time I spent there and I don't feel the need to keep talking about something in the past.

Im sure everyone agrees that not every airline is for everybody, but the general feelings regarding AEU are generally not good!

Im sure it has no doubt improved since my season a few years ago, but from friends who have gone there just to fly for the winter season after charter, they have been anything but happy and are struggling to carry on till April, when their bond expires.

They will always have a busy programme, because they do all the routes which no one else will do, which is fair play because its certainly a niche market!

Flyjet used to be run on a similar line, but has improved no end and the Astraeus hierarchy that used to run strong there has diminshed, and overall I hear is a lot better deal than Astraeus.
So perhaps you should try FJE? Yes there a/c go tech etc etc but they seem a lot happier.

Hostessmostess

Wrong.

You said "but the general feelings regarding AEU are generally not good!

So far in this thread we've had you, Malachy8985 and vaboy criticise AEU and Jalite, SPFlyer, jcx, Alberville and Flyhalf support the airline.

So... with 3 negative posters and 5 positive posters, the general feelings regarding AEU are generally good.
:D

LOL!

I mean amongst the airline fraternity the feeings are generally not good. You should plant a recorder in the life in Concorde House if you want to hear them!

I Joined AEU last year and I think it is a good little airline, I have worked for others before but each airline I have worked for have their good and bad points, no airline is perfect and Astraeus is far from being perfect. Not saying that in a bad way in the slightest - we all need something to moan about in our jobs don't we!!!!

Astraeus is a good airline and if anyone was thinking of applying then go for it. The crew are great, the trainers are good fun, and the cabin crew manager is a good laugh as well. who cares about a bond, six months flys by in no time anyway and if you leave before you six months is up then AEU probably don't want people like you anyway.

Granted the money could be better but as someone said before "moneys isn't everything" it is enough to get by, but what airline will make a flight attendant rich these days????

Gaz

Hi,

Like it has been said before, surely no airline is "perfect", someone is bound to have a different opinion it's the only way to have a balanced view, but please let's be rational when we expose our views even though this is an anonymous forum.

I don't work for Astraeus but I had the pleasure of meeting some members for the said airline, the general feeling I get from them is that they are enjoying the flying they do work hard, but like one of them said it is enjoyable and the money is reasonable, if you are climbing the ladder Astraeus is worth a go.

Regards,
Airway

:8

Astraeus
 

Thanks for your comments everyone. I think the truth seems to be that cabin crew are underpaid everywhere. (Even Richard Branson only gets rich because he pays his staff badly). Astraeus perhaps aren't the only guilty ones?

Vaboy,

I see you are soon to start a job with Virgin.

Would they have employed you if you had not previous flying experience with AEU. Maybe, maybe not.

But the fact you have experience definately counts for something.

Maybe you shouldn't call them such a sh1t airline after all eh??

How-about a thank you and move quietly on your way....??:)

vaboy, best of luck. I don't quite follow your comments back to Gareth Blackstock though, who was simply stating his own opinion and I really can't see why you have jumped down his throat for doing so.

Hostessmostess, I see you haven't chosen to justify your comments about the Lotus A319. Care to do so, or are you happy for a mildly slanderous comment like that to sit there with your name against it whilst you find other reasons for mud-slinging?

Yes, I would agree with the negative posters on here.

We work awfully long hours
We work our butts off in the summer
We fly to some of the most mosquito infested places in the world
We operate mainly niche-market flights
We are bonded initially
We all have our bad days

but I would'nt change a single thing!!!:p

The people make Astraeus, and the flying is 'different'. Who wants to go to the same old bucket and spade places all year round anyway, not I!

Regards

Mike

Im in agreement with Mike, i wouldnt change a single thing!!!

Good luck on the HME tomorrow mike!

Jc

hehe!

Thanks!!

Managed to get my 75 check flight in before my leave, so will take tommorrow as an opportunity to have a second go, as you know, you gotta be on the ball for an HME!:uhoh:

Regards

Mike

Lissy - The pay review for this year is starting very soon, so in agreement to some the others the pay at the moment is not great but will be changing. The summer is looking like another busy one down in LGW.
To those of you who have negative things to say about the airline, it didn't really answer Lissy's question, I'm sure if Lissy gets a job with the airline will beable to make up he/shes own mind.
HostessMostess - Heard you were only with the airline 4 months from when it first started and then went AWOL. Was you expecting it all to be sweetness and roses and not have teething problems because you must have been living in a dream world!
Vaboy - I know you didn't enjoy your time here and i hope that your new airline lives up to your expectations.;)

Titmitch,

I wasnt there at the start, it was 2003! Great facts. I also did a season....that was enough!

Hey I went to pastures new, and found out that it was actually a great career when you are with actually with a proper airline.

Hostessmostess - if you are who I / we suspect you are (SS?) you did indeed work for four months with Astraeus; but during which you also went AWOL for up to a week at a time - something which resulted in a member of cabin crew management personally going around to your house to check that you hadn’t been bumped off (as no-one could contact you); and you didn’t bother turning up to collect your ID card; and left the company without providing or working a notice period. Isn't that right ? ( assuming it's you, eh, SS? )

Astraeus threads are always interesting. :E

I notice lissy is asking about senior cabin crew. More seniors???

Why does Astraeus get so badly battered by everyone on this site?? :confused: :confused:

May I, as someone who travelled with Astraeus last year on a charter flight to Ukraine, express an opinion?
The cabin crew on the outbound flight were less than interested in the passengers, because, by their own admission, they had been'out' the night before, and were feeling hung over.
The return flight was delayed because the ground staff at Simferopol had neither the equipment nor the experience to deal with the aircraft. At no time before or during the return flight of four and a half hours did the captain bother to communicate with the passengers.
I did send an e-mail to Astraeus, and was promised the matter would be looked into, but never heard any more.
On arrival at Gatwick, the baggage took one and a half hours to arrive 'because the ramp staff were busy'. Not directly Astraeus' fault, but then they choose the handling agent, not the other way round. As a result of this, I lost the last flight to Manchester, and had to pay for an overnight @ LGW, and extra to BA for the flight the next day. And, no the insurance wouldn't pay up.
My complaint to Aviance resulted in an offer to visit their lounge next time I'm in LGW. Frankly, if that's any time within the next five years, it'll be too soon. And I certainly wouldn't fly with Astraeus again.