FR: Earlies and lates
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FR: Earlies and lates
Hi,
Before Ryanairs recruitment freeze they published on their website some of the basics of Ryanair T&C. However that is no longer the situation.
Is it still the case that one works 5 days on 4 days off and one week of earlies, the next of lates?
Also, what constitutes an early and a late? In terms of start and finish time. In other words, what time do you guys set your alarm?
Thanks.
Before Ryanairs recruitment freeze they published on their website some of the basics of Ryanair T&C. However that is no longer the situation.
Is it still the case that one works 5 days on 4 days off and one week of earlies, the next of lates?
Also, what constitutes an early and a late? In terms of start and finish time. In other words, what time do you guys set your alarm?
Thanks.
yes thats the roster.
Start times vary base to base my first departue is 6am local, so up at around 4am (urrgh), last departing early is 8am but most are 6am-7am.
First late departue 1130, last is 6pm.
But thats just my base
Start times vary base to base my first departue is 6am local, so up at around 4am (urrgh), last departing early is 8am but most are 6am-7am.
First late departue 1130, last is 6pm.
But thats just my base
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5 on 4 off is pretty straight forward. But there are exceptions and some bases have a 4 on 3 off during the summer with no weekends off.
There are also other arrangements for Sim and you have to arrange your own medical.
Most earlies start at 0630 airborne, but big bases have later departures. It is a standard 45 min pre-flight check in. Most smaller bases have a staff car park near the security and the crew rooms are airside.
New leave system is one month off. and I think 12 days
Take a close look at the pay before you sign. There are different contracts. And we are looking forward to getting hit for more tax on the sector cheques!
There are also other arrangements for Sim and you have to arrange your own medical.
Most earlies start at 0630 airborne, but big bases have later departures. It is a standard 45 min pre-flight check in. Most smaller bases have a staff car park near the security and the crew rooms are airside.
New leave system is one month off. and I think 12 days
Take a close look at the pay before you sign. There are different contracts. And we are looking forward to getting hit for more tax on the sector cheques!
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Thanks for the replies. I imagined the earlies would be something like that. What time do your earlies finish?
thebeast, your lates don't seem so bad, I'm in Dublin myself, studying ATPL, and have often heard FR flights arriving close to 2330. Probably some late departure from EGSS.
Can anyone out of Dublin give me an idea as to your early/late start finish times?
F14, I'll be going over every word with a fine tooth comb before anything gets signed, if ever I get there. Thanks
thebeast, your lates don't seem so bad, I'm in Dublin myself, studying ATPL, and have often heard FR flights arriving close to 2330. Probably some late departure from EGSS.
Can anyone out of Dublin give me an idea as to your early/late start finish times?
F14, I'll be going over every word with a fine tooth comb before anything gets signed, if ever I get there. Thanks
Last edited by MetalGear; 6th May 2009 at 13:35.
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MG - If you comb it finely then you will discover the contract is awful and will not sign it.
Expect it to be changed at will.
If you do sign it - see you on the line.
https://www.balpa.org/getdoc/a98486c...rPetition.aspx
Expect it to be changed at will.
If you do sign it - see you on the line.
https://www.balpa.org/getdoc/a98486c...rPetition.aspx
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If you are that worried about what time you have to get up in the morning, and when you will get home , perhaps Ryanair is not really for you 
I think if that sort of stuff is bothering you before you even get accepted you are going to have some difficulty adapting to the "caring"
regime if you come.
I think if that sort of stuff is bothering you before you even get accepted you are going to have some difficulty adapting to the "caring"
regime if you come.
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In my old airline we used to have earlies and lates around the same as mentioned here, however i could bid on more earlies or more lates. As i do not have any problems getting up at 4 and flying earlies i allways bid on earlies only. Is something like that possibe with FR? Or do you have to actively swap duties with another pilot at your base if that is possible at all?
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You can't swap earlies with lates, I can't see how you could do that in any airline. With regards to asking on here about what time you start and finish? Get a life, you either want to be a pilot or you don't. With regards the contract, like it or not. If you want a job straight off onto a big shiney jet you will have to sign it. Ryanair might not be perfect but here we are in a world wide rescesion and we have people asking about wheather the start and finish times are likely to suit them. I'm sorry to have to say this but you are very unlikely to get through the interview process if these are the things on your mind.
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Swapping duties is the norm in most airlines, believe it or not. Of course not on the day but a few days in advance. Those airlines usually have a bid system and not a fixed roster, thats why i asked about it. And yup, personally swapped all my lates to earlies over years and managed to fly only earlies, no weekend duties and no overnight stays downroute which is nice if you have other interests besides flying.
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In Ryanair forget swaps and anything that makes your social/family life easy. They pay you and consider that they own you. There are always exceptions - and somebody will inevitably come along and post to say that they work for Ryanair and never have had a problem. BUT if you talk to enough people and read enough posts here on PPRuNe you will get the message that:
- The roster you are given is hard to avoid. It can vary from intense work through to intense sitting at home (this is especially the lot of new pilots once they have paid FR for their type-rating, contibuted to company profits, and got checked out).
- Swops are next to impossible, if not impossible. Rosters for other pilots in most bases are impossible to obtain (company policy).
- You have very little control over your leave, with some notable and lucky exceptions (all the signs are that where P B is left to do his thing leave can actually be allocated rationally. However, the people actually in charge of leave and the Pol Pot management in Dublin are much more inclinded to give you leave when they think it would be best to (a) suit Ryanair, (b) punish you for asking to many questions about getting your leave).
- Plan on one month allocated unpaid leave per annum, along with your month's allocated "paid" (minus sector pay, of course). Be pleasantly surprises if you plan turned out to be too pessimistic.
Etc. etc.
Hope you get my drift!!
P.S. There is this guy called Leo Hairy Camel who roams about these parts. He comes with the territory and, so long as you can distinguish between reality and propaganda you will have no problem (hint - reality is based on facts and propaganda is based on spinning the facts).
- The roster you are given is hard to avoid. It can vary from intense work through to intense sitting at home (this is especially the lot of new pilots once they have paid FR for their type-rating, contibuted to company profits, and got checked out).
- Swops are next to impossible, if not impossible. Rosters for other pilots in most bases are impossible to obtain (company policy).
- You have very little control over your leave, with some notable and lucky exceptions (all the signs are that where P B is left to do his thing leave can actually be allocated rationally. However, the people actually in charge of leave and the Pol Pot management in Dublin are much more inclinded to give you leave when they think it would be best to (a) suit Ryanair, (b) punish you for asking to many questions about getting your leave).
- Plan on one month allocated unpaid leave per annum, along with your month's allocated "paid" (minus sector pay, of course). Be pleasantly surprises if you plan turned out to be too pessimistic.
Etc. etc.
Hope you get my drift!!
P.S. There is this guy called Leo Hairy Camel who roams about these parts. He comes with the territory and, so long as you can distinguish between reality and propaganda you will have no problem (hint - reality is based on facts and propaganda is based on spinning the facts).
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Getting up at an ungodly hour or working late into the night when all your mates are down at the pub or your wife and kids are tucked up in bed is part of airline life, regardless of the company that you work for! FR is no different, however the structure of the roster is very stable. A week of earlies is followed by a week of lates with a 5/4 pattern.
Should you be on a 'floating contract' the pattern is 5/5, however there is no guaranteed early/late/early structure.
Scheduled departure and arrival times vary from base to base, however the earliest that I have departed at during the summer schedule is 04.55z
Arrivals from lates tend to culminate between 2100z and 2230z. However late running arrivals touching down well past midnight can and do occur.
While the roster is stable, you can be asked to work days off, have duty periods swapped (3 earlies, 2 lates in a five day period), asked to work away from base at short notice and carry out additional duties beyond those that you had orignally anticipated for that day (happens more frequently at larger bases).
On your five days on, crew control own your ass. You are just another cogg in the wheel and will be treated as so. This is especially prevalent for FOs. Don't expect many niceties, agree to what needs to be done and get your head down and get on with it. Kicking up a stink with Ops or Crewing doesn't bode too well and is regarded as risky business, especially if you are on a BRK contract.
Sad, I agree, but true.
On the plus side, the flying, aircraft, crew, career path and training are all great. The roster works well with my family life and I make enough money to keep them secure. The jumpseat travel system is an asset too. All in all FR has the makings of a very good place to make a living. BALPA recognition could indeed be one step towards a better place to work.
Should you be on a 'floating contract' the pattern is 5/5, however there is no guaranteed early/late/early structure.
Scheduled departure and arrival times vary from base to base, however the earliest that I have departed at during the summer schedule is 04.55z
Arrivals from lates tend to culminate between 2100z and 2230z. However late running arrivals touching down well past midnight can and do occur.
While the roster is stable, you can be asked to work days off, have duty periods swapped (3 earlies, 2 lates in a five day period), asked to work away from base at short notice and carry out additional duties beyond those that you had orignally anticipated for that day (happens more frequently at larger bases).
On your five days on, crew control own your ass. You are just another cogg in the wheel and will be treated as so. This is especially prevalent for FOs. Don't expect many niceties, agree to what needs to be done and get your head down and get on with it. Kicking up a stink with Ops or Crewing doesn't bode too well and is regarded as risky business, especially if you are on a BRK contract.
Sad, I agree, but true.
On the plus side, the flying, aircraft, crew, career path and training are all great. The roster works well with my family life and I make enough money to keep them secure. The jumpseat travel system is an asset too. All in all FR has the makings of a very good place to make a living. BALPA recognition could indeed be one step towards a better place to work.
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Thank you for all your replies. Hasn't changed my resolve one way or another. It's just nice to know what potentially lies ahead. Good evening.
Last edited by MetalGear; 8th May 2009 at 19:04.
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I don't know why some people are jumping on the bandwagon and getting on MG's case, I would want to know the same thing, out of curiosity, so if it had been me that asked, doesn't necessarily mean that it would cause me problems to wake up for a 6am flight, since at the moment I'm waking up often enough for 0430 flights and what not. Anyway, nice reply Callsign Kilo, think that says more or less everything that needs to be known in as a guide.
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Earlies/lates
I had a Partner who took my earlies and I took his lates. That was during the good times in FR. All where happy, he could see his Son after school and shared some time in the evening with him and I was not forced to hang out in Bishops Stortford. Was that unethical for a caring Father to see his only Child more then twice a week? I am sure his Son will appreciate that one day. I had my long lasting Breakfast in the B+B and did not mind the late arrivals.
Today I am still up for the long late nights. My Scheduler knows it and most of my Fellows are glad that someone works at odd hours. They are not odd for me but for them. Diffrent Folks have diffrent strokes.
Duing a Interview you should not mention that you prefer this or that. Be smart and see what is on the Plate and then select your taste, it may fit in.
Fly safe and land happy
NG
Today I am still up for the long late nights. My Scheduler knows it and most of my Fellows are glad that someone works at odd hours. They are not odd for me but for them. Diffrent Folks have diffrent strokes.
Duing a Interview you should not mention that you prefer this or that. Be smart and see what is on the Plate and then select your taste, it may fit in.
Fly safe and land happy
NG
