Leaving BA for low cost
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 321
Likes: 0
From: UK
Funny how people look at things. BA offering a £59k basic to join and easy offered £104k. The roles are very different yes but my family don’t care which seat I sit on. I suggest you don’t look at the BA pay scales as well. The fact it takes 14 years on BA SH lgw to make the basic easy paid me the day I joined...... speaks volumes and it’s why threads like this crop up.
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 233
Likes: 13
From: Somewhere
VJW I get your sentiments but to be fair you can’t really compare a DEC easyJet position to a DEP one at BA financially. It’s fairly obvious that one is going to come out way ahead of the other and different qualifications/experience are required for each, hence it’s apples and oranges, particularly as one who is in a position to apply for Direct Entry Captain already has their command and a certain financial status and, by virtue of their decision to apply to apply for a BA DEP position, is presumably taking a longer term view of things than the immediacy of the first payslip.
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
From: Uk
Spot on, VJW, I'm in exactly the same position as yourself. I'm left seat easy now instead of joining BA longhaul, I work hard and I get paid very well. It's all about expectation, the aviation jobs out there that are a cushy number these days are as rare as rocking horse !!!!!. Most of the stress comes from perception and mindset, you just have to be happy with what you've signed on the dotted line for, like how many crew do we know that whinge their tits off when they get called from standby? A standby duty isn't a right to stay at home, you're being called for a duty you should have potentially been doing anyway, if you have the mindset that if you spend it at home it's a bonus then you'll be in a far better place mentally and more relaxed. Being stressed is more fatiguing than being relaxed, if your constantly stressing about a long week ahead then it'll affect you more. I didn't get home till 3am this morning and I have another long night ahead but I'm comfortable with it. I don't feel half as tired as I would if I was whining about it all the time. Pilots are the most highly strung fraternity I've ever known, take a chill pill guys.
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 306
Likes: 11
From: UK
That’s the point though, if you relax and don’t get stressed about the inevitable slots and delays then perfectly fine! If I’ve got a block of earlier then I go to bed at 8 the Night before and then I’m not tired and actually enjoy the job!
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 125
Likes: 0
From: London
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 0
Likes: 0
From: Germany
yep. Lie ins too after a long trip. It’s about management and fairness. I bring in the coin. She manages the household/kids. I’m amazed at the number of people who seem to have partners that don’t get the requirements of the job, seeming to think that staff travel, cheap luxury holidays and being in the top 3% of Uk household earnings happens support free from the other side of the relationship. If she is earning mega wonga too, why wouldn’t you get an au pair?
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 321
Likes: 0
From: UK
Well I'm well into my second decade of flying and being flogged and to be honest my health is fine. I just can't get too stressed about the day to day operation because it just isn't worth it. I've heard my crew moan and whinge over the years about slot delays, tech problems, company decisions etc etc but at the end of the day you won't whinge the issues away so there's no point in letting it get to you. I take every day as it comes and just don't get excitable about much and I have to say my time at work is very relaxed even if it's going to rat sh!t because it's completely out of my hands. Yesterday we were suffering from slot delays and my first officer was whinging the whole day about it, now that was tiresome and fatuiging.
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,196
Likes: 61
From: Earth
Well I'm well into my second decade of flying and being flogged and to be honest my health is fine. I just can't get too stressed about the day to day operation because it just isn't worth it. I've heard my crew moan and whinge over the years about slot delays, tech problems, company decisions etc etc but at the end of the day you won't whinge the issues away so there's no point in letting it get to you. I take every day as it comes and just don't get excitable about much and I have to say my time at work is very relaxed even if it's going to rat sh!t because it's completely out of my hands. Yesterday we were suffering from slot delays and my first officer was whinging the whole day about it, now that was tiresome and fatuiging.
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 387
Likes: 1
From: Centre of Universe
I don't want to come over too harsh but if your a commuter (I believe you are) your already on the back foot, and unlike a couple of recent posters - your keep letting your head be full of negativity. As my old DFO once said when i complained to him that how come Nigel's (not BA) get £xxx for working one minute into a day off and I got jack all for working 12 hours on a day off - his reply was "go be a Pilot" - So.....
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 312
Likes: 3
From: Earth
Also due to the preferential bidding I tend to only do early flights and two sector days. In general I leave home between 4 and 5am and am back home around 1pm. In my book that is far from being flogged to death. Yes, I do the occasional 4 sector day but on average not more then two per month. In my previous company I would normally fly close to 900 hours a year and most of these were Canaries, Turkey, Cyprus or Egypt so long days out.
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 768
Likes: 52
From: TBC
Institute for Fiscal Studies website puts you and your partner in the top 1% of UK households, never mind 3%. You may not feel well off, but you certainly are. Obviously it depends how much of that income is disposable and what choices you’ve made.
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 538
Likes: 0
From: Canadian Shield
Well I'm well into my second decade of flying and being flogged and to be honest my health is fine. I just can't get too stressed about the day to day operation because it just isn't worth it. I've heard my crew moan and whinge over the years about slot delays, tech problems, company decisions etc etc but at the end of the day you won't whinge the issues away so there's no point in letting it get to you. I take every day as it comes and just don't get excitable about much and I have to say my time at work is very relaxed even if it's going to rat sh!t because it's completely out of my hands. Yesterday we were suffering from slot delays and my first officer was whinging the whole day about it, now that was tiresome and fatuiging.
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 0
Likes: 0
From: Germany
i suspect another family chained to the south east rat race. Couldn’t do it myself.
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 0
Likes: 0
From: Germany
Given that junior BA short haul (LHS or RHS) is not competitive in any way, I guess we are comparing long haul (BA) to loco short haul. And the health effects of working through the night + jet lag, are proven far far worse than getting up early (especially once you get into the early/late groove. Being in your bed in the wee small hours of the night are crucial to health.
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 2,725
Likes: 434
From: The Harvest Moon
As an EZY lifer skipper having just reached 60 I can tell you that the long days just get harder and harder and for us LCC guinea pigs, burn out is a fact, as the 75% of skippers at my base who are part time will testify.
IMHO it’s not just an EZY thing but a fact of life for airline pilots these days. Skin cancer, enlarged prostate, chronic fatigue etc etc are all things you young pups have got to look forward to, trust me.
The advice I give to the youngsters I fly with - get your command, pay off your debts and go part time - then the job is fantastic.
IMHO it’s not just an EZY thing but a fact of life for airline pilots these days. Skin cancer, enlarged prostate, chronic fatigue etc etc are all things you young pups have got to look forward to, trust me.
The advice I give to the youngsters I fly with - get your command, pay off your debts and go part time - then the job is fantastic.