My experience with Ryanair
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Seat 8F
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My experience with Ryanair
Hello,
It's make nearly one year that i have join Ryanair and i always promised myself to wright some words here when i would have made my own idea of this company, i have some time now so here is my thinking....
Before joining i have for sure read all the threads on pprune from top to bottom and from bottom to top, no need to say that with all the "mauvaises langues" here i was totally afraid and wondering myself if i was not doing a mistake... For the records i joined them with a 737 TR and some hours on the machine so i paid nothing nor for a T/R or for the OCC course.
The OCC course and the Line Training was at a really great standard of professionalism and security. Your progress is followed day by day by a very accurate computerized system and by reports wrote by the LT captain after each flight. For sure it's tough to reach the desired standard but never i felt under negative pressure or rushed to achieve it, (by example you have to achieve the turn around in 25 minutes but if you are not completely ready then no big deal it will be 30,35 minutes but at least you will have learn how to do better the next time)(btw from my pilot point of view a turn around of 25 minutes is totally possible without rush and with respect of security).
The staff in East Midland Training was really helpful and tried to do there best to make your training more easy.
Now concerning my everyday life, i enjoy the wonderful spanish sun with a comfortable 5 days on, 4 days off roster and every night i am in my bed, I can assure you that for your couple and family life it's really helpful... Speaking about quality of life, i have never been so healthy than since i am with FR, no wonder with the fantastic food that my wife do me for each of my flight and the water... one bottle and "Britta" do the rest.
Concerning the salary, there also i am totally happy, the first six month i was bringing home an average of 2500€/net, since then I am on an average of 3500€/net and it's seem that in the future with the new deal it will climb to an average of 4000€/net. I have personally taken a loss of license insurance/pension for +-300€ a month which assure me of a rent of 5000€/month in case of problems and i have the social insurance in the country where my base is. Not so bad i find for a new FO.
The work by itself is really enjoying me with a great bunch of people around, an amazing network of destinations giving me a lot of experience and a brand new fleet with a really good maintenance which give me the opportunity to achieve my job with security and professionalism.
if i have to give some negatives points, i would say that it's tricky to find the good person to who to speak when you have a question or a problem but with the time you do your own list of contact numbers. An other one which annoy me the most is the difficulty to get your planning or to connect to the intranet system from the friday afternoon to the monday morning.
So to conclude i would say that in my case Ryanair is a really positive experience for sure you don't have a red carpet to go to the aircraft and nobody give a f*** that you are a pilot, you are there to do a job from A to B to A and then you go home. Just to be clear i am based in continental Europe with a Ryanair contract, so my experience most probably is not similar as the experience of pilots based in England, Ireland or contractor.
Hope it will help and moderate some writers full of anger and blackness.
Have a nice landing or an happy take off...
It's make nearly one year that i have join Ryanair and i always promised myself to wright some words here when i would have made my own idea of this company, i have some time now so here is my thinking....
Before joining i have for sure read all the threads on pprune from top to bottom and from bottom to top, no need to say that with all the "mauvaises langues" here i was totally afraid and wondering myself if i was not doing a mistake... For the records i joined them with a 737 TR and some hours on the machine so i paid nothing nor for a T/R or for the OCC course.
The OCC course and the Line Training was at a really great standard of professionalism and security. Your progress is followed day by day by a very accurate computerized system and by reports wrote by the LT captain after each flight. For sure it's tough to reach the desired standard but never i felt under negative pressure or rushed to achieve it, (by example you have to achieve the turn around in 25 minutes but if you are not completely ready then no big deal it will be 30,35 minutes but at least you will have learn how to do better the next time)(btw from my pilot point of view a turn around of 25 minutes is totally possible without rush and with respect of security).
The staff in East Midland Training was really helpful and tried to do there best to make your training more easy.
Now concerning my everyday life, i enjoy the wonderful spanish sun with a comfortable 5 days on, 4 days off roster and every night i am in my bed, I can assure you that for your couple and family life it's really helpful... Speaking about quality of life, i have never been so healthy than since i am with FR, no wonder with the fantastic food that my wife do me for each of my flight and the water... one bottle and "Britta" do the rest.
Concerning the salary, there also i am totally happy, the first six month i was bringing home an average of 2500€/net, since then I am on an average of 3500€/net and it's seem that in the future with the new deal it will climb to an average of 4000€/net. I have personally taken a loss of license insurance/pension for +-300€ a month which assure me of a rent of 5000€/month in case of problems and i have the social insurance in the country where my base is. Not so bad i find for a new FO.
The work by itself is really enjoying me with a great bunch of people around, an amazing network of destinations giving me a lot of experience and a brand new fleet with a really good maintenance which give me the opportunity to achieve my job with security and professionalism.
if i have to give some negatives points, i would say that it's tricky to find the good person to who to speak when you have a question or a problem but with the time you do your own list of contact numbers. An other one which annoy me the most is the difficulty to get your planning or to connect to the intranet system from the friday afternoon to the monday morning.
So to conclude i would say that in my case Ryanair is a really positive experience for sure you don't have a red carpet to go to the aircraft and nobody give a f*** that you are a pilot, you are there to do a job from A to B to A and then you go home. Just to be clear i am based in continental Europe with a Ryanair contract, so my experience most probably is not similar as the experience of pilots based in England, Ireland or contractor.
Hope it will help and moderate some writers full of anger and blackness.
Have a nice landing or an happy take off...
Last edited by flycheaper; 26th Feb 2008 at 22:13. Reason: spelling
Hello Clandestino, is that so bizare that there is some pilots happy to be with Ryanair?
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Europe
Posts: 90
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Funny post...............
Happiness is relative in this case. You also need to take into account that your happiness levels will decrease every year with inflation and at the whim of the company.
If you are a genuine pilot, reckon you purchased your flying exp from one of those 300-500 pay per fly programs.
Happiness is relative in this case. You also need to take into account that your happiness levels will decrease every year with inflation and at the whim of the company.
If you are a genuine pilot, reckon you purchased your flying exp from one of those 300-500 pay per fly programs.
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: B Pier
Posts: 67
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
This guy sounds like HR person....
Anyway, if he is genuine, which is doubtful, he displays the usual characteristics of the run-of-the-mill head-in-the-sand ryanair pilot. The main one being the utter inability to see the big picture. Yes, you're happy now, but as someone pointed out, that happiness, along with your salary, is steadily decreasing even as we speak. Every day of inflation lowers your salary, regardless of how much it actually is, it will always be less than a comparable pilot earned yesterday.
Having not had the benefit of flying elsewhere, you also think that what is normal in ryanair is normal elsewhere.
For example, the money you quote is low pay (and decreasing).
And tricky is it to get hold of people? What happens if you have a real problem, like damaging an aircraft? You won't be getting hold of anyone then, except a lawyer. Where's the backup and the support? Experience will show you that you need that.
Anyway, if he is genuine, which is doubtful, he displays the usual characteristics of the run-of-the-mill head-in-the-sand ryanair pilot. The main one being the utter inability to see the big picture. Yes, you're happy now, but as someone pointed out, that happiness, along with your salary, is steadily decreasing even as we speak. Every day of inflation lowers your salary, regardless of how much it actually is, it will always be less than a comparable pilot earned yesterday.
Having not had the benefit of flying elsewhere, you also think that what is normal in ryanair is normal elsewhere.
For example, the money you quote is low pay (and decreasing).
And tricky is it to get hold of people? What happens if you have a real problem, like damaging an aircraft? You won't be getting hold of anyone then, except a lawyer. Where's the backup and the support? Experience will show you that you need that.
What a cynical bunch you lot are. Here is a 'newbie' and he's jus delighted with his new job. And all you want to do is 'rain on his parade'.
It's like if you married a 21 year old super model. The best 5ex will be the first time, plus her looks aren't going to get much better. So you could say it's all downhill from there.
And NO, I'm not comparing Ryanair with a 21 year old supermodel. Thst's just life, each to his or her own.
It's like if you married a 21 year old super model. The best 5ex will be the first time, plus her looks aren't going to get much better. So you could say it's all downhill from there.
And NO, I'm not comparing Ryanair with a 21 year old supermodel. Thst's just life, each to his or her own.
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Colton, CA
Age: 68
Posts: 129
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Well, let me just say this: Regardless of all the positive and negative comments being thrown about here in reference to RyanAir, I think it is safe to assume that we're all in agreement that they put out a FANTASTIC calendar! 
ONTPax
ONTPax
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Seat 8F
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
That's amazing how negative people are on this forum, if you appreciate your job then directly you are seen as somebody from the management.
Just for info, I have been waiting since august 2001 to have my first real pilot job, I have done a lot of "little" ****ty job, more than one time I have been in the **** to finish the month. Hopefully in 2006 a new turkish company called me and gave me a totally free type rating on the 737 and the line training, i was still flying for them when a flight school went to propose them a bunch of newbies pilots ready to pay to do the line training... For sure they accepted and they said me goodbye.
Where have you seen that 3500€-4000€ is low salary for a one year FO, if you take TNT or Brussels Airline which where my other alternatives, this amount is the brutto(you divided by 2 to have the netto).
Any way me I am happy and that the most important.
Just for info, I have been waiting since august 2001 to have my first real pilot job, I have done a lot of "little" ****ty job, more than one time I have been in the **** to finish the month. Hopefully in 2006 a new turkish company called me and gave me a totally free type rating on the 737 and the line training, i was still flying for them when a flight school went to propose them a bunch of newbies pilots ready to pay to do the line training... For sure they accepted and they said me goodbye.
Where have you seen that 3500€-4000€ is low salary for a one year FO, if you take TNT or Brussels Airline which where my other alternatives, this amount is the brutto(you divided by 2 to have the netto).
Any way me I am happy and that the most important.
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: In a far better place
Posts: 2,480
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
First I would like to say that was a nice post by "Flycheaper". Enjoy your time at RYR. When its time to move on... I share those positive experiences with your new crewmembers.
Now for the basic questions… can anyone justify the negatives for the following?
Being home every night in your own bed to kiss your kids good night or have breakfast with them in the morning?
Bringing your own food which you have control over the preparation?
Flying new aircraft that don’t break?
Steady Rosters?
Its one thing to complain about bad treatment, but it’s another thing to stand up and take action for such treatment.
So to the complainers... if you don't like the treatment or where you are... well you all can finish the line.
For those who like it at RYR... enjoy your time with the airline until you feel that it's time to move on only because there may be a new adventure awaiting you.
Now for the basic questions… can anyone justify the negatives for the following?
Being home every night in your own bed to kiss your kids good night or have breakfast with them in the morning?
Bringing your own food which you have control over the preparation?
Flying new aircraft that don’t break?
Steady Rosters?
Its one thing to complain about bad treatment, but it’s another thing to stand up and take action for such treatment.
So to the complainers... if you don't like the treatment or where you are... well you all can finish the line.
For those who like it at RYR... enjoy your time with the airline until you feel that it's time to move on only because there may be a new adventure awaiting you.
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: On the flight deck of course !!
Posts: 475
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Being home every night in your own bed to kiss your kids good night or have breakfast with them in the morning?
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Seat 8F
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hello Flying-Clara
a) Usually 2 to 4 sectors/day
b) Between 5 and 10 hrs/day
c)Early shift : Check-in between 5AM to 10AM Check-out 12PM to 16PM
Late shift : Check-in between 12AM to 17AM Check-out 19PM to 1AM
d)Medical: 120€/Y
Uniform: I bought it in the beginning, no recurrent cost
Parking: 13€/M
Sim: It's free and on my 5 days on, also they pay a renting car and hotel room in the Hilton or the Thistle.
e)Basic salary : 18.000€ Gross
Flight pay : 30.000€ Netto
f) I fly an average of 80 hrs/month
Since the beginning of the year I am flying an average of 35 hrs/month because I took Annual leave but you earn +-76€ by A/L taken so at the end of the month I don't see really the difference.
Hope it help,
a) Usually 2 to 4 sectors/day
b) Between 5 and 10 hrs/day
c)Early shift : Check-in between 5AM to 10AM Check-out 12PM to 16PM
Late shift : Check-in between 12AM to 17AM Check-out 19PM to 1AM
d)Medical: 120€/Y
Uniform: I bought it in the beginning, no recurrent cost
Parking: 13€/M
Sim: It's free and on my 5 days on, also they pay a renting car and hotel room in the Hilton or the Thistle.
e)Basic salary : 18.000€ Gross
Flight pay : 30.000€ Netto
f) I fly an average of 80 hrs/month
Since the beginning of the year I am flying an average of 35 hrs/month because I took Annual leave but you earn +-76€ by A/L taken so at the end of the month I don't see really the difference.
Hope it help,
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: In a far better place
Posts: 2,480
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The point is that you are home and when you kid cries out for the parents well you can figure the rest out for yourself.
If you are looking for that dream job in aviation, where you don’t report for duty before 10:00 and go off duty by 15:00, then you aren’t going to find it until you become the owner, and Director of Operations. RYR may not be the perfect place to be, however, there are worse places to fly while living out of a suit case and doing the bag drag through the terminal every day and being paid less.
If you are looking for that dream job in aviation, where you don’t report for duty before 10:00 and go off duty by 15:00, then you aren’t going to find it until you become the owner, and Director of Operations. RYR may not be the perfect place to be, however, there are worse places to fly while living out of a suit case and doing the bag drag through the terminal every day and being paid less.
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: UK
Posts: 1,114
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Often you don't know how good or bad a place is until you have left. Its a bit like our old flying schools. Most of us would say we had the best training, instructors etc. Reality is we don't know as we didn't do the CPL or IR twice or more times to find out what it is like somewhere else.
I know that my airline has its faults. But on the plus side I sure am happy with my defined benefit pension, a published payscale going forward for the next 20 or so years, sector pay, 1 seniority list, free crew meals, free water, free tea and coffee, a paper to read on the turnaround, good standard of hotels for overnights, carparking, and a uniform provided.
Now I have never flown for FR nor would I wish to thanks. Incidentally from mates flying for them the problems seem to arise later down the line when you have been in a few years. Erosion of terms and conditions, constant moving of goal posts, command promotion issues etc. Unfortunately a year is nothing in this business. Good luck and enjoy your flying.
I know that my airline has its faults. But on the plus side I sure am happy with my defined benefit pension, a published payscale going forward for the next 20 or so years, sector pay, 1 seniority list, free crew meals, free water, free tea and coffee, a paper to read on the turnaround, good standard of hotels for overnights, carparking, and a uniform provided.
Now I have never flown for FR nor would I wish to thanks. Incidentally from mates flying for them the problems seem to arise later down the line when you have been in a few years. Erosion of terms and conditions, constant moving of goal posts, command promotion issues etc. Unfortunately a year is nothing in this business. Good luck and enjoy your flying.
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: In a far better place
Posts: 2,480
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RYR is an entry level carrier for low time pilots. I don’t know of any other carrier where one can join a company with 240 hours and get his or her command within 3 to four years of joining. After accumulating 1,000 hours of command, then they can choose to remain or move on. I would be curious to know how many entry level crewmembers move on after 4 to 5 years at RYR?
T & Cs have eroded, but not only at RYR. One can whine about the erosion of such terms conditions on this thread, but PPRUNE isn’t going to restore or lobby on behalf of RYR pilots to have those benefits reinstated.
T & Cs have eroded, but not only at RYR. One can whine about the erosion of such terms conditions on this thread, but PPRUNE isn’t going to restore or lobby on behalf of RYR pilots to have those benefits reinstated.
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Moon
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RYR is an entry level carrier for low time pilots. I don’t know of any other carrier where one can join a company with 240 hours and get his or her command within 3 to four years of joining. After accumulating 1,000 hours of command, then they can choose to remain or move on. I would be curious to know how many entry level crewmembers move on after 4 to 5 years at RYR?
T & Cs have eroded, but not only at RYR. One can whine about the erosion of such terms conditions on this thread, but PPRUNE isn’t going to restore or lobby on behalf of RYR pilots to have those benefits reinstated.
T & Cs have eroded, but not only at RYR. One can whine about the erosion of such terms conditions on this thread, but PPRUNE isn’t going to restore or lobby on behalf of RYR pilots to have those benefits reinstated.
The other airlines are using Ryanair as a bench mark for terms and conditions.
Fools.
