Aluminium,

Am considering and is not for family reasons!

Over 10 years in the ME and I have done the low cost in a previous life

For me is roster issues
......sleep and health go together so I guess is a matter of choices

Oh please don't make that mistake. If you go back to a LCC, choose another one.

Ryan Air TRE to FO 777 ,
upgrade delayed due to shortage of new FO ,
DECs from Ryan Air that the TRE trained at Ryan Air
back to Ryan Air TRE

Trouble is, by the time you've landed on day 1 of lates, have waited for the steps or wheelchair, then taken the bus across the airfield to the crew room, faxed off the paperwork, bus again to the car park and then driven home, up to an hour or more away and then wound down to sleep, you only have about 10 hours until you have to be back in the crew room doing another 11.45 duty.

So you never really 'see' home whilst at work. Just about 7-8 hours of a bed. LCC's own you during the 5 day pattern.

And 5 days of 03.30-04.45 alarm calls on the 5 earlies shift is a total horror show. No daylight seen off duty for the entire winter season unless on days off.

I'll take my monthly 380 roster, with 8-10 sectors, 15 days off and unlimited golf in the sun every single time. It's no contest.

We are all different and one can see one term of a contract as positive while sombody else will see it as negative.
For example: At EK a car comes to pick you up to drive you to work and at the end of your duty drives you back home.
Some pilot will see that as a plus ( no need for a second car , no stress in the Dubaï's traffic... )
Others will see it as negative ( they prefer to get a transport allowance , free to leave home when they feel it is time to , want to drive themselves...)

So this discussion will never end and there is no right or wrong choice , there is just one choice that suits YOU and who cares if somebody else think that you are wrong...

All I know is that I have been in Ryanair , then in the Middle East for 6 years and NOW I am back to Ryanair and I don't regret my choice.

Only the people who have experienced BOTH for long enough can really make a wise decision but only for THEMSELVES.

Well said Dubaigong

Dubaigong. My point exactly. You were able to phrase it better than me though :)

I have seen both places too. And decided EK isn't for me.

Very true. Dubaigong and craggen you are both right. All depends on what you want from work and life.

I hear that going back to Ryanair won't get you the base of your choice anymore, above all if you want to go back to Ireland or the UK. Seems to be a new policy.
What is the point in going back if you have to commute for an unknown period of time and play the base transfer lottery again? Being on a 7/2 roster, above all in the winter when there are less flights and less frequencies on the network, is a crazy prospect and as tiring, if not more, than EK.
Some would say you can settle down where you are based abroad.... well..I will let you work out if it is economically working out with family, kids, etc......Once again, no option!

So overall, lesss money, still 850-900 hours a year and be away from home and family even more (amongst other things).....If you are single and free, then fair enough, otherwise, it is not a viable option unfortunately.

It doesn't work for a Desert Camel BUT as said above it suits me and many others that are in Ryanair for more than 10 years.
I have done Ryanair and the Middle East for 6 years and between the two , I have made MY choice.
There are many other things that I can't cope with in the Middle East that I don't experience in here...
So Desert Camel , stay where you are but don't try to convince me that your choice is better than mine.
It is YOUR choice that only suits YOU and this is MY choice that only suits ME.

Dubaigong, I am not trying to convince you or anybody else for that matter. I can understand your point of view. I am not sure why you feel targeted though, and feel the need to go on the offensive....

Anyway, all I'm saying is that going back to Ryanair to commute and basically be on a 7/2 roster with all the inconvenients it brings is not an option, for me at least. If, like the rumour mill suggested, they offered you the base of your choice, then it would not be a problem. I would be back already. However, as I said, the rumour mill is wrong and there are no more bases available in Ireland or the UK (possibly other places). This is NOT a rumour, it is a fact. New policy and no flexibility on it.

Desert Camel , it just means that you have waited too long to apply or are looking for bases where the demand is so high that there is no more position available...
I got the base of my choice and there are at least 8 other pilots from FZ on their notice period or already gone who also got what they wanted.
It is obvious though that it can not last forever as it depends on the number of aircraft per base versus the number of pilots requesting it.

I wish anyone going back to EU locos the best, and I really hope it works for you, but I honestly think you are remembering RYR with rose tinted specs and without the full knowledge of how it has changed in the last five years. It didn't get any better, that's for certain. A lot of recruits will be based on the wrong side of the continent, on 5/3 rosters rather than the advertised 5/4, because their base is being punished for trying to negotiate during the last T&C bout. If you think things moved fast at EK, then you're in for a shock.

Eduelp ,

I am fully aware of where I am coming back.
Ryanair is and always will be what you want it to be , it is up to the pilots to change it if they really want to by getting united.
When I was there I was an active member of REPA and was well informed by the people doing the hard work to help us during the base visit etc...
I have been following their advices by keeping as much as possible all the communications done with Ryanair in written. ( even after a phone call sending them a summary of the conversation to have a written report )
Each time I have been in " trouble " I managed to get away from it by getting in touch with Martin ( for example ) , following his instruction and it has always worked in my favour...
A few guys even went to court with some support and won against Ryanair BUT of course you will not find any publicity of it on crewdock...
So don't worry for me ...

Dubaigong, FYI, I would already be back.... timing is no issue. Ireland/UK=at least 10 bases... I am sure there would a spot in one of them. Anyway, this is all nitty gritty stuff and the fact of the matter is, there are no Ireland/UK bases available. Full stop.

Eduelp, I would not mind being based somewhere in Europe and wait for my turn... as long as RYR pay for schooling so that i am not left with only half of my salary at the end of the month. This will never happen, I am not dreaming! For that very reason, I need to be based where I want to be. At the end of the day, if they are short of people and want to recruit experienced pilots (by nature, older guys with families, ties, etc....), then they have to factor this in, and guys who are already in the company need to understand this as well.