Ryanair Captains on £45,000 per year !!!
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So simple! Why has noone thought of that before...!!! 
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We have a union. REPA has been around since 2004. But how do you handle a company who simply refuses to acknowledge a union. Any schooled in the Irish legislative system who can explain how an Irish company can get away with that?
Outsider's point of view here, but given the average UK salary is approximately £25k, £45k minimum seems pretty reasonable to me. I, for one, would dearly love to be able to earn £45k doing a job I enjoy. I'm lucky if I even earn half that, particularly in the current economic climate.
£45k puts you in the top 10% of earners. Doesn't sound bad at all to me. You could probably afford to get a mortgage as well, unlike most of my generation.
£45k puts you in the top 10% of earners. Doesn't sound bad at all to me. You could probably afford to get a mortgage as well, unlike most of my generation.
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£45K a year putting you in the 10% of earners in the UK is actually a false statistic. I doesn't take into account anyone who is self employed. As a good majority of the most highly payed Brits are self employed you'll find that in actual fact the sum of £45K falls far short of that percentage.
I know this because once upon a time I worked for the company that produced that report.
I know this because once upon a time I worked for the company that produced that report.
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Not saying £45000 is good money but how about all the facts for Eg they also get £24 psbh ( approx 24 x 800 =£19200) plus annual leave money of £60 x 29 days = 1740, and also an annual allwoance of £5000 ( to cover medical cost loss of lic INS etc).
When you add these up it comes to £70940 for the year ( sector money based on 800 hours which is around average per year).
Also one thing which most guys will agree is they do have the best roster of 5 on 4 off and back to base every night. (bumer if you commute great if you and family live.around your base)
I am not saying FR is the best but don't think there the worst either.
When you add these up it comes to £70940 for the year ( sector money based on 800 hours which is around average per year).
Also one thing which most guys will agree is they do have the best roster of 5 on 4 off and back to base every night. (bumer if you commute great if you and family live.around your base)
I am not saying FR is the best but don't think there the worst either.
Compare apples to apples please. GBP45k is about half or less of what 737/A320 captains make at the other big low cost airlines around the world
As an outsider looking in, it does seem that pilots can earn incredible amounts of money.
I'm 29, self-employed and have a good degree in Computer Science. Most people I know, including myself and those older than me, earn anything from £12K (full-time minimum-wage) to about £30K (teachers, police officers etc). There are the odd ones like solicitors who earn fantastic amounts, but they are few and far between.
Very few of my peers have been able to get a foot on the housing ladder without financial assistance from the bank of mum and dad.
To me, and a great many others, £45K is a lot of money and would allow you to live very comfortably. Anything above that is incredible.
That captains are earning £100K+ absolutely blows my mind. Other than doctors and consultants, there can't be many who get to consistently earn those amounts as an employee.
Stu
That captains are earning £100K+ absolutely blows my mind. Other than doctors and consultants, there can't be many who get to consistently earn those amounts as an employee.
Responsibility, responsibility, responsibility.
Doctor or consultant (medical ) stuff up and people might well die - worth paying 100K+ to recruit and retain that sort of expertise? IMHO Yes.
Captain of an aircraft - Responsible for perhaps hundreds of lives everytime he/she goes to work, also responsible for perhaps 100 million dollars or more plus of the company's assets. .... are they "worth it"? You tell me.
Eh , Guys . I don't know why you are all talking about 45K , captains earn far in excess of that
Every captain in every airline?
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Don't Forget your Sunscreen!
STU,
interesting post, but are you seriously suggesting 45,000 GBP (53,000 Euro approx) is an appropriate BASIC pay for a Captain of a modern airliner.
With respect, having a Bachelors Science Degreee would not been seen as anything special, many people these days would also have a degree on top of their aviation related qualifications..so when reading your post I do not see this to be relevant...Within our industry, what use is the degree if you are not allowed work in another job at the same time?
Maybe we should discuss a few facts, and let be clear the possibility of the confusion between Pounds and Euros...
Fact 1. The Basic Pay now is 30,000 EURO LESS than my current basic as a permanent employee within Ryanair. (A drop in Basic Salary of 30%)
Fact 2. When you include your sector pay and the 5,000 euro on top of this, as well as (and I stress the words very "BASIC") pay, taking into account benefits, uniforms, licences etc, ALL OF WHICH YOU DO NOT GET WITHIN RYANAIR, consulting with a colleague flying within a legacy airline (and I have seen the paycheck with my own eyes), the ANNUAL difference in Income (after Tax) equates to 70,000 Euro.
Every year you work as a skipper, you are down 70K.
Now consider a Pilot who is your age 29, with hopefully another 30 years flying. It does not take a BSC Graduate in Computers to realise that the pilot is down a total of 2.1 Million Pounds!!!!
Fact 3. With a permanent contract as a Captain, (and before anyone has a chance to have a go I have no unusual additional debt on my shoulders), just a modest Car Loan! , NO bank would give me a mortgage of 250,000 over 20 Years!
Fact 4. It is very niave of you to state "the fact Captains are earning over 100K blows your mind". Take a look at PPJN (pilots job network website), and you will quickly realise skippers for example in Asia, direct entry command on the 747 are earning in the region of 200K per year! Reality check required mate!
Finally, Soon to be Fact. The roster is great, 5 days ON 4 days OFF, thats what is keeping alot of people here in Ryanair, myself included! Changing to 5 days ON 3 days OFF (which is on the way), how will that amazing basic of 53K plus sector pay feel when you only have 1 day off a week after spending the other 2 days trying to get back home.
So STU66, you state you are an outsider looking in, and I appreciate that.
And without any intention to disrespect your points of view, this demonstrates clearly how PPPruNe is open to posts from anybody and everybody, sticking up threads and posts stating 100K is amazing, and without doubt brainwashes a new low-houred pilot, and perfect ammunition for RYR management.
For this reason, I do question the Moderators motive for continuing to allow such destructive posts, discussing the very terms and conditions of thousands of aviation professionals! Any right minded individual would realise, the job we do, flying a commercial jet with hundreds of passengers around the skies, dealing with all the threats that exist, 53,000 doesn't come close!!! There is no verification of anyones identity on here, adding to the fact, this could be anybody (including Ryanair Management who are having a lazy weekend), sitting down in their leather sofa wanting to stir things up!!!
Pressman, you are right, Captains do earn more than 45,000 POUNDS GBP, (53,000 Euro Basic), BUT this is now the NEW basic for new captains. I would love to know (well i know the reason) why no existing captains are going to standup and be counted !!!! Speaking from personal experience, its like pissing into the wind if only a few pilots attempt decide to make a stand against deteriorating terms and conditions...the collective pilot body must make a stand, however management know how unlikely it would be for this to happen.
PB and the other goons in management are scratching their heads as we speak wondering how they are going to fill the flight deck seats with crew for the summer, and at the same same continue to lower the conditions. If this weren't real life, this would be funny! No one is laughing!
************************************************************ ***
A wise man Baz once said:
interesting post, but are you seriously suggesting 45,000 GBP (53,000 Euro approx) is an appropriate BASIC pay for a Captain of a modern airliner.
With respect, having a Bachelors Science Degreee would not been seen as anything special, many people these days would also have a degree on top of their aviation related qualifications..so when reading your post I do not see this to be relevant...Within our industry, what use is the degree if you are not allowed work in another job at the same time?
Maybe we should discuss a few facts, and let be clear the possibility of the confusion between Pounds and Euros...
Fact 1. The Basic Pay now is 30,000 EURO LESS than my current basic as a permanent employee within Ryanair. (A drop in Basic Salary of 30%)
Fact 2. When you include your sector pay and the 5,000 euro on top of this, as well as (and I stress the words very "BASIC") pay, taking into account benefits, uniforms, licences etc, ALL OF WHICH YOU DO NOT GET WITHIN RYANAIR, consulting with a colleague flying within a legacy airline (and I have seen the paycheck with my own eyes), the ANNUAL difference in Income (after Tax) equates to 70,000 Euro.
Every year you work as a skipper, you are down 70K.
Now consider a Pilot who is your age 29, with hopefully another 30 years flying. It does not take a BSC Graduate in Computers to realise that the pilot is down a total of 2.1 Million Pounds!!!!
Fact 3. With a permanent contract as a Captain, (and before anyone has a chance to have a go I have no unusual additional debt on my shoulders), just a modest Car Loan! , NO bank would give me a mortgage of 250,000 over 20 Years!
Fact 4. It is very niave of you to state "the fact Captains are earning over 100K blows your mind". Take a look at PPJN (pilots job network website), and you will quickly realise skippers for example in Asia, direct entry command on the 747 are earning in the region of 200K per year! Reality check required mate!
Finally, Soon to be Fact. The roster is great, 5 days ON 4 days OFF, thats what is keeping alot of people here in Ryanair, myself included! Changing to 5 days ON 3 days OFF (which is on the way), how will that amazing basic of 53K plus sector pay feel when you only have 1 day off a week after spending the other 2 days trying to get back home.
So STU66, you state you are an outsider looking in, and I appreciate that.
And without any intention to disrespect your points of view, this demonstrates clearly how PPPruNe is open to posts from anybody and everybody, sticking up threads and posts stating 100K is amazing, and without doubt brainwashes a new low-houred pilot, and perfect ammunition for RYR management.
For this reason, I do question the Moderators motive for continuing to allow such destructive posts, discussing the very terms and conditions of thousands of aviation professionals! Any right minded individual would realise, the job we do, flying a commercial jet with hundreds of passengers around the skies, dealing with all the threats that exist, 53,000 doesn't come close!!! There is no verification of anyones identity on here, adding to the fact, this could be anybody (including Ryanair Management who are having a lazy weekend), sitting down in their leather sofa wanting to stir things up!!!
Pressman, you are right, Captains do earn more than 45,000 POUNDS GBP, (53,000 Euro Basic), BUT this is now the NEW basic for new captains. I would love to know (well i know the reason) why no existing captains are going to standup and be counted !!!! Speaking from personal experience, its like pissing into the wind if only a few pilots attempt decide to make a stand against deteriorating terms and conditions...the collective pilot body must make a stand, however management know how unlikely it would be for this to happen.
PB and the other goons in management are scratching their heads as we speak wondering how they are going to fill the flight deck seats with crew for the summer, and at the same same continue to lower the conditions. If this weren't real life, this would be funny! No one is laughing!
************************************************************ ***
A wise man Baz once said:
Accept certain inalienable truths,
---------------------------------------
*prices will rise,
*politicians will philander,
*RYR conditions will continue to fall,
*Young faced pilots will continue to accept these falling conditions,
*Random (ill-informed) posters will continue to post random posts on PPRune,
---------------------------------------
*prices will rise,
*politicians will philander,
*RYR conditions will continue to fall,
*Young faced pilots will continue to accept these falling conditions,
*Random (ill-informed) posters will continue to post random posts on PPRune,
But Trust Me...RYR are about to get taught a really hard lesson and people are now walking. Summer 2011 Bring it On !
************************************************************ **
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Appreciate the info.
As an outsider looking in, it does seem that pilots can earn incredible amounts of money.
I'm 29, self-employed and have a good degree in Computer Science. Most people I know, including myself and those older than me, earn anything from £12K (full-time minimum-wage) to about £30K (teachers, police officers etc). There are the odd ones like solicitors who earn fantastic amounts, but they are few and far between.
Very few of my peers have been able to get a foot on the housing ladder without financial assistance from the bank of mum and dad.
To me, and a great many others, £45K is a lot of money and would allow you to live very comfortably. Anything above that is incredible.
That captains are earning £100K+ absolutely blows my mind. Other than doctors and consultants, there can't be many who get to consistently earn those amounts as an employee.
As an outsider looking in, it does seem that pilots can earn incredible amounts of money.
I'm 29, self-employed and have a good degree in Computer Science. Most people I know, including myself and those older than me, earn anything from £12K (full-time minimum-wage) to about £30K (teachers, police officers etc). There are the odd ones like solicitors who earn fantastic amounts, but they are few and far between.
Very few of my peers have been able to get a foot on the housing ladder without financial assistance from the bank of mum and dad.
To me, and a great many others, £45K is a lot of money and would allow you to live very comfortably. Anything above that is incredible.
That captains are earning £100K+ absolutely blows my mind. Other than doctors and consultants, there can't be many who get to consistently earn those amounts as an employee.
At the moment, you're 29 and so have at the most got 7 or 8 years of experience. You are at the beginning of your career.
How much does a junior solictor earn? Naff all is the usual answer.
However, 15 years down the line it's a different matter. One friend of mine is a partner in a big firm and took home £500K last year. Do you think that she's worth that?
Someone obviously did.
Qualifications get you in the door, they don't guarantee you a decent salary. A CPL/IR means nothing more than the opportunity to get a job. in the same way that a Batchelors degree won't get you a good job.
Being an F/O doesn't even guarantee that you'll ever make it into the left hand seat of an airliner, so trying to compare you and your friends current salaries to experienced airline captain is meaningless. You are at an F/O stage of your career and my first job as an F/O paid me £16K, so you're not a million miles away.
You aren't in the same position as a captain, but in a few years time, you might be. You won't be so surprised then about people earning a decent amount of money for what is a difficult job to do well, I'm sure.
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Say again slowly
To accuse a poster, in a different profession, of not having the experience after 7 or 8 years (age29) to earn £100k is 
.
The problem here is the headlong rush to be a Captain in places like FR.
New cadets aren't on the whole, interested in sitting for 10 years as an FO anymore. No, they want a QUICK Command.
The 90's and noughties showed Cadets they can be Captains after 4 years in Ezy and FR etc.
And that's where the rot started.
.The problem here is the headlong rush to be a Captain in places like FR.
New cadets aren't on the whole, interested in sitting for 10 years as an FO anymore. No, they want a QUICK Command.
The 90's and noughties showed Cadets they can be Captains after 4 years in Ezy and FR etc.
And that's where the rot started.
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As an outsider looking in, it does seem that pilots can earn incredible amounts of money.
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Well, seeing as I'm 33 and know how much I earn, then I know it to be possible, BUT, the vast majority of people in all professions won't be earning anywhere close to that until they have a significantly larger amount of experience.
I'm lucky, I've managed to get well qualified and experienced in a short space of time and I'm in a narrow field where there are few people of any age with the experience I have. So, I'm worth more to my employers and I have the ability to dictate to them my salary demands, rather than the other way around.
I know full well what most people get paid and £100K is a very, very unusual salary for someone under the age of 30 unless they are working in the city.
IF the supposed pilot shortage ever appears, then things will be better for pilots when it comes to pay.
Though there is a shortage of experienced people, which is why places like RYR are throwing people into the LHS so quickly.
I have one friend of mine who is doing his command course at the moment. He's been flying for RYR for less than 4 years. He's very good and will do fine (I hope) but with less than 4000hrs TT he's going to be in charge of a 189 seat passenger jet...
One last thing. When I said 7 or 8 years, I was probably being generous, that's the absolute maximum, most people I know didn't manage to find jobs in their chosen careers until they were closer to 25 and so it's perfectly feasible for a uni graduate to be 29 and only have 3 or 4 years of working experience behind them.
I'm lucky, I've managed to get well qualified and experienced in a short space of time and I'm in a narrow field where there are few people of any age with the experience I have. So, I'm worth more to my employers and I have the ability to dictate to them my salary demands, rather than the other way around.
I know full well what most people get paid and £100K is a very, very unusual salary for someone under the age of 30 unless they are working in the city.
IF the supposed pilot shortage ever appears, then things will be better for pilots when it comes to pay.
Though there is a shortage of experienced people, which is why places like RYR are throwing people into the LHS so quickly.
I have one friend of mine who is doing his command course at the moment. He's been flying for RYR for less than 4 years. He's very good and will do fine (I hope) but with less than 4000hrs TT he's going to be in charge of a 189 seat passenger jet...
One last thing. When I said 7 or 8 years, I was probably being generous, that's the absolute maximum, most people I know didn't manage to find jobs in their chosen careers until they were closer to 25 and so it's perfectly feasible for a uni graduate to be 29 and only have 3 or 4 years of working experience behind them.
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Whilst the 45k may look good from the outside - don't forget as previously mentioned the COST involved (not to mention the risk of actually paying for training!)
Courses are im guessing around 75k at the moment, plus you need living costs etc for up to two years. It costs in the region of 100k, plus or minus a bit.
Ok, so you earn 45k, you should be able to pay off the debt.... Don't forget that 100k is AFTER tax. So for you to pay off 100,000 worth of debt you would need to earn roughly 200,000 (income tax and NI taken from it would leave you just over 100,000). All of that is FORGETTING the interest involved - it actually costs a lot more!
Putting aside £200,000 gross to pay off your debt is not easy - and thats if you even get a job at the end of training! Many people take the plunge and end up having to give it up as they can't get jobs - so if some pilots get paid well then fair play, if they didnt get paid well what on earth would be the point in taking such a huge risk!
Courses are im guessing around 75k at the moment, plus you need living costs etc for up to two years. It costs in the region of 100k, plus or minus a bit.
Ok, so you earn 45k, you should be able to pay off the debt.... Don't forget that 100k is AFTER tax. So for you to pay off 100,000 worth of debt you would need to earn roughly 200,000 (income tax and NI taken from it would leave you just over 100,000). All of that is FORGETTING the interest involved - it actually costs a lot more!
Putting aside £200,000 gross to pay off your debt is not easy - and thats if you even get a job at the end of training! Many people take the plunge and end up having to give it up as they can't get jobs - so if some pilots get paid well then fair play, if they didnt get paid well what on earth would be the point in taking such a huge risk!
I apologise if I seem naive and inexperienced on the subject but that is exactly what I am. I am offering a viewpoint from someone not associated with the airline industry. You could always ignore me if I seem a bit dumb, but I am genuinely curious. I'm sure there are millions of people like me who would also ask the same questions. Thanks everyone for furnishing me with their replies which has opened my mind somewhat.
By the way, I am not associated with Ryanair in any way, shape or form. Nor am I attempting to pollute the minds of any prospecting first officers . I'm fact I find it a bit scary that somebody is seriously suggesting that a point of view should not be aired on this forum in case it "brainwashes" baby pilots. I am just a normal member of the public posting on a public forum. If it's not here, they are going to hear the same questions down the pub.
By the way, I am not associated with Ryanair in any way, shape or form. Nor am I attempting to pollute the minds of any prospecting first officers . I'm fact I find it a bit scary that somebody is seriously suggesting that a point of view should not be aired on this forum in case it "brainwashes" baby pilots. I am just a normal member of the public posting on a public forum. If it's not here, they are going to hear the same questions down the pub.
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From pressman :-
Maybe, in a "good" year, but what about the past 12 months or so ? Volcanic ash clouds, extensive ATC industrial action in Spain and France, plus snow closures over the winter etc. All of which can make a big dent in your take home pay.
And what about if you had the misfortune to have a medical problem ? Could be months on basic pay (I know of one Capt that has been on sick leave for a year).
The point is that a Basic Pay of £45,000 is way too low ......
Eh , Guys . I don't know why you are all talking about 45K , captains earn far in excess of that
And what about if you had the misfortune to have a medical problem ? Could be months on basic pay (I know of one Capt that has been on sick leave for a year).
The point is that a Basic Pay of £45,000 is way too low ......
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stu666,
that's ok, you've asserted that you are not from the industry so looking at it from an outsiders viewpoint.
Indeed, you wouldnt be expected to *know* the hard facts unless you ask, so ask away, there's a lot of people here that would be more than happy to share the realities of the industry from the inside.
Another point to consider is the actual manner in which the job actually has effect on the personal life of the pilot and his family.
Simply, a pilot rarely wakes every day, leaves home at 0805, to turn up at work at 0900, takes lunch at 1300 to 1400 and leaves work at 1700, and back home at 1815, dinner with the wife tuck the kiddines into bed and off at the weekends...
The working environment for a pilot is very demanding not only *in* the job, but also on the personal and family life.
that's ok, you've asserted that you are not from the industry so looking at it from an outsiders viewpoint.
Indeed, you wouldnt be expected to *know* the hard facts unless you ask, so ask away, there's a lot of people here that would be more than happy to share the realities of the industry from the inside.
Another point to consider is the actual manner in which the job actually has effect on the personal life of the pilot and his family.
Simply, a pilot rarely wakes every day, leaves home at 0805, to turn up at work at 0900, takes lunch at 1300 to 1400 and leaves work at 1700, and back home at 1815, dinner with the wife tuck the kiddines into bed and off at the weekends...
The working environment for a pilot is very demanding not only *in* the job, but also on the personal and family life.
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Good point there ALLOW. I agree we should be focussing more on getting the basic salary to increase. All additions to the basic pay remain variable. So with regards to peace of mind an increase in the basic pay seems preferable to an increase in for example sector pay.