Flybe to Easyjet
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Flybe to Easyjet
I'm thinking of finally leaving Flybe to join Easyjet, but still in two minds whether to do so.
Any views out there from those who left Flybe to Easy. Any regrets or have you not looked back since. Apart from the massive increase in pay anything else you enjoy or dislike.
Quite a hard decision as I havn't heard anything about Easy
Cheers all
Any views out there from those who left Flybe to Easy. Any regrets or have you not looked back since. Apart from the massive increase in pay anything else you enjoy or dislike.
Quite a hard decision as I havn't heard anything about Easy
Cheers all
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Do you have an offer from Easyjet or are you just contemplating applying? The application process is a mess. If you actually had an offer, then you should consider yourself lucky.
My impression is that the rostering situation will improve with time given the threat of pilot exodus if it does not.
Part of your thinking should be based on your fleet type at Flybe. If you are on an expanding fleet like the Q400, then you might want to consider the benefits of staying. However, if you fly the 146 (with the potential for a reduction in 146 flying), then I would definitely consider leaving. Flying a new Airbus wouldn't be a bad deal...
I don't work for Easyjet, but I would also like to know how your base is determined (i.e., Stansted, Luton, Liverpool, etc.). That too could impact your decision if Easyjet wants to move you to a less desireable location and you have school kids, etc.
Good luck in your decision and keep us updated!
My impression is that the rostering situation will improve with time given the threat of pilot exodus if it does not.
Part of your thinking should be based on your fleet type at Flybe. If you are on an expanding fleet like the Q400, then you might want to consider the benefits of staying. However, if you fly the 146 (with the potential for a reduction in 146 flying), then I would definitely consider leaving. Flying a new Airbus wouldn't be a bad deal...
I don't work for Easyjet, but I would also like to know how your base is determined (i.e., Stansted, Luton, Liverpool, etc.). That too could impact your decision if Easyjet wants to move you to a less desireable location and you have school kids, etc.
Good luck in your decision and keep us updated!
I cant speak about the curent recruitment process or the effect a base move or the TRSS scheme might have on you personally .
From a purely Flight Ops point of view .Easy is a different world , great standards on the flight deck and cabin , consistent across the board and some of Europes most experienced people to watch and learn from .
The roster stablity at my base ( a small one ) is no better or worse than flybe and i am not working any more annual hours than i did in any of my 5 years at flybe.
Easy is not perfect , far from it , which airline is ? if i were you and had an offer id take it .The opportunity for any individual to move there career in any direction you fancy within Easy is phenomenal at the mo'
Good Luck
From a purely Flight Ops point of view .Easy is a different world , great standards on the flight deck and cabin , consistent across the board and some of Europes most experienced people to watch and learn from .
The roster stablity at my base ( a small one ) is no better or worse than flybe and i am not working any more annual hours than i did in any of my 5 years at flybe.
Easy is not perfect , far from it , which airline is ? if i were you and had an offer id take it .The opportunity for any individual to move there career in any direction you fancy within Easy is phenomenal at the mo'
Good Luck
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Thanks for the replies.
I attended the open evening last year at luton, was given a date to attend the selection. Had to cancel cos another airline called at the same time.
I'm currently on the 146. If anything the flying is increasing on the 146, what with the success at SOU.
I tend to escape the UK at any given oppertunity. Is it true that staff tickets at Easy are only on Easy flights. Cos with Flybe I regularly fly long haul on standby.
With regards to bases at flybe, I am pretty senior enough to bid wherever I want to go. I am now finally where I wanna be. However to join another airline I am prepared to relocate anywhere for 1-2 years.
I think I may have to stick it out at Flybe for a little longer. Jet fleet replacement plans have yet to be finalised.
I attended the open evening last year at luton, was given a date to attend the selection. Had to cancel cos another airline called at the same time.
I'm currently on the 146. If anything the flying is increasing on the 146, what with the success at SOU.
I tend to escape the UK at any given oppertunity. Is it true that staff tickets at Easy are only on Easy flights. Cos with Flybe I regularly fly long haul on standby.
With regards to bases at flybe, I am pretty senior enough to bid wherever I want to go. I am now finally where I wanna be. However to join another airline I am prepared to relocate anywhere for 1-2 years.
I think I may have to stick it out at Flybe for a little longer. Jet fleet replacement plans have yet to be finalised.
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ATIS,
Wise up and Go!
If you listen to the FlyBe Propaganda long enough you'll actually start to belive it !!!
The 146s are here to stay for AT LEAST another 5 years.
There is no money in "The Pot" so 737's are, I'm afraid, still just a pipe dream.
Anyone who was saying the deal was done and dusted care to comment?????
The first "wet lease" was allegedly meant to have arrived in "October" Where is It ???
The SOU "Wet lease 737" has gone mysteriously quite awell, allegedly to arrive in February 2004.
Seniority, well there's a word to conjour with!
I'm afraid seniority only comes into play as and when it suits the company, so I wouldn't get too excited about that one.
Choice of bases, Hmmmmmmmmmm well I'd talk to the the recent "Shaftees" at BHD on that one and see if they could enlighten you.
So, as I have previously mentioned, any info from the "Weasel" should be taken with a very large pinch of salt!!!
" I heard you were a Dancer,
at some big deal Paris Show................"
Wise up and Go!
If you listen to the FlyBe Propaganda long enough you'll actually start to belive it !!!
The 146s are here to stay for AT LEAST another 5 years.
There is no money in "The Pot" so 737's are, I'm afraid, still just a pipe dream.
Anyone who was saying the deal was done and dusted care to comment?????
The first "wet lease" was allegedly meant to have arrived in "October" Where is It ???
The SOU "Wet lease 737" has gone mysteriously quite awell, allegedly to arrive in February 2004.
Seniority, well there's a word to conjour with!
I'm afraid seniority only comes into play as and when it suits the company, so I wouldn't get too excited about that one.
Choice of bases, Hmmmmmmmmmm well I'd talk to the the recent "Shaftees" at BHD on that one and see if they could enlighten you.
So, as I have previously mentioned, any info from the "Weasel" should be taken with a very large pinch of salt!!!
" I heard you were a Dancer,
at some big deal Paris Show................"
Last edited by Smokie; 22nd Dec 2003 at 17:35.
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The training's good, and either rating (737 or A319) are very useful, and the money will be cosiderably more than you're on now, so take it and put up with awful conditions until your bond is up. At that point, for your own sake, find a real airline and leave. If something good comes up before the 3 years are out, leave anyway and pay off the bond. Whatever else happens, you won't want to stay long.
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I would definatly recommend you take the leap. I left flybe just over a year ago for EZY. Proper type rating, 10K+ payrise from right seat 146 and real prospects of jet command in the future. I do more flying but less duty hours than at flybe, very few roster changes or disruptions and no night stops. We have a fixed 6 on 3 off working pattern so you can plan ahead, unlike the random rostering at flybe where you never knew what your days of were until a few days before your next roster is due to start, even then 6 on 2 off was not uncommon. You don't get interline staff travel, but you do get discounted firm Easyjet flights. Go for it.
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I agree with SI.
Having had a great 3 years at Flybe I do not regret the switch. There are many eJ bashers within the company and things are not perfect but loco is the way of the future and those of us within the company have to work hard to put right those things that adversly effect us.
The training is good, the type rating very good, however, the T&Cs are becoming variable as more schemes such as TRSS become the 'norm'. The big difference is the leap in the standards expected on the flight deck. SOPs are very standard for good reason, there are many mother tongues within the company so only standard patter will do, tedious but essential.
You are right that there is no interline travel arrangement but you do get confirmed eJ travel and if like me you can only take holidays during the school breaks then standby travel can be a bit stressful when going on your main holiday when there are so few seats left on the popular destinations, I rather use some of the £15k of extra pay I get now to buy confirmed seats.
As for basing it certainly is unacceptable the way eJ expect you to enter the location lottery but there is so much movement in the company that it is likely that by the time you are checked to line you will have got the base of your choise.
You have to weigh up the likelyhood of further progression within Flybe including fleet change to the certainty of a 737/319 rating. From what I hear you will not work any harder or have more disruption that at Flybe. If after a couple of years you want to move on then you have a solid rating behind you, it maybe more difficult to move on with just 146 experience.
That is it for what it is worth.
Good Luck
Having had a great 3 years at Flybe I do not regret the switch. There are many eJ bashers within the company and things are not perfect but loco is the way of the future and those of us within the company have to work hard to put right those things that adversly effect us.
The training is good, the type rating very good, however, the T&Cs are becoming variable as more schemes such as TRSS become the 'norm'. The big difference is the leap in the standards expected on the flight deck. SOPs are very standard for good reason, there are many mother tongues within the company so only standard patter will do, tedious but essential.
You are right that there is no interline travel arrangement but you do get confirmed eJ travel and if like me you can only take holidays during the school breaks then standby travel can be a bit stressful when going on your main holiday when there are so few seats left on the popular destinations, I rather use some of the £15k of extra pay I get now to buy confirmed seats.
As for basing it certainly is unacceptable the way eJ expect you to enter the location lottery but there is so much movement in the company that it is likely that by the time you are checked to line you will have got the base of your choise.
You have to weigh up the likelyhood of further progression within Flybe including fleet change to the certainty of a 737/319 rating. From what I hear you will not work any harder or have more disruption that at Flybe. If after a couple of years you want to move on then you have a solid rating behind you, it maybe more difficult to move on with just 146 experience.
That is it for what it is worth.
Good Luck
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As always I agree with Stall Inducer.
EZY is not perfect but I am sure that it is a whole lot better than FlyBe.
Decent type rating, mainly modern machinery...
No interline staff travel unfortunately but you can find some decent deals with airperx, ... after a bit of searching and once again it will be confirmed seats thus not having to worry about getting back home to go back to work...
EZY is not perfect but I am sure that it is a whole lot better than FlyBe.
Decent type rating, mainly modern machinery...
No interline staff travel unfortunately but you can find some decent deals with airperx, ... after a bit of searching and once again it will be confirmed seats thus not having to worry about getting back home to go back to work...
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I am at a fairly advanced stage of recruitment into the Orange fold. I currently work for a very good Airbus operator but have no command prospects for many years to come. EasyJet are offering very attractive deals to current FOs with the right experience and I am certainly tempted by it.
I have previously been a turboprop training captain and am also 146-rated. Please understand me when I say this because I do not wish to knock turboprops or 146s but I have learnt the hard way that neither of these aircraft types are regarded very highly in the wider world. Rightly or wrongly, the 146 is not seen as a 'proper' jet by Boeing/Airbus operators and that is not helped by the fact that a number of 146 pilots have had significant problems in converting onto more complex types. Therefore, if you are being offered a job on a 737 or A319, my very strong advice is to grab it before it disappears! The 146 is seen as a 'starter' jet, and that you still need 'real' experience, and a very similar view is held regarding turboprops.
The other very important fact to bear in mind when deciding whether to dither or not with easyJet is that by the end of next year the expansion in the UK will be over. There will still be considerable expansion but that will be into mainland Europe. Therefore if you want to get promoted and fly from the UK you will have to get in now rather than later. Like all airlines there comes a point when there are captains and there are FOs and not much movement between the two species occurs! Timing is everything, and nowhere is that more true than easyJet. Delay could have very significant ramifications for your future. Just a few thoughts - and I hope they are helpful to someone out there!
I have previously been a turboprop training captain and am also 146-rated. Please understand me when I say this because I do not wish to knock turboprops or 146s but I have learnt the hard way that neither of these aircraft types are regarded very highly in the wider world. Rightly or wrongly, the 146 is not seen as a 'proper' jet by Boeing/Airbus operators and that is not helped by the fact that a number of 146 pilots have had significant problems in converting onto more complex types. Therefore, if you are being offered a job on a 737 or A319, my very strong advice is to grab it before it disappears! The 146 is seen as a 'starter' jet, and that you still need 'real' experience, and a very similar view is held regarding turboprops.
The other very important fact to bear in mind when deciding whether to dither or not with easyJet is that by the end of next year the expansion in the UK will be over. There will still be considerable expansion but that will be into mainland Europe. Therefore if you want to get promoted and fly from the UK you will have to get in now rather than later. Like all airlines there comes a point when there are captains and there are FOs and not much movement between the two species occurs! Timing is everything, and nowhere is that more true than easyJet. Delay could have very significant ramifications for your future. Just a few thoughts - and I hope they are helpful to someone out there!
