Ryanair or easyjet - difficult choice ???
 

Hi to all 737 - skippers out there,

Need your advice!! If you could choose to work for Ryanair or easyjet, which of the two would you choose ( disregarding the base )??
Being a 737 captain in germany it´s a bit difficult to collect
the view of people having attendet interviews or even work for one of these company's. Lots of posts about the orange life at easyjet but almost nothing about ryan!

I would appreciate your time and any comment that makes it
easier for me to decide, when the time comes.

Thanks, always happy landings and merry x-mas to all of you

No question - neither of them!

But if forced, I would say easyJet.

I fully agree!

None of them.

Autoabort - How the hell would you know????? Have you worked for either? do you know anyone who works for either?? Or are you just being the usual muppet and stereotyping the 'don't work for them because they are doing better than us?? Grow up

I know people who have worked for both of them. They have all left for other things. According to all of them, both airlines are S**T !!

Settle down children. 733 asked a perfectly reasonable question and he deserves the chance of answer(s) from qualified people, that is to say those who have flown for one or, preferably, both airlines. Those posting here without such experience, merely to vent their prejudices for one reason or another, say more about themselves than anything else. We are supposed to be proud professionals.

confundemus

how do you know unless you have tried them????? how often have you had the chance to fly brand new aircraft?

Only repeating what I have been told by friends who have worked for both airlines.

733,
It would depend entirely on what sort of person you are.I am assuming you're German and accordingly would appreciate a professional,formal and polite workplace.You would be disappointed on all 3 accounts I'm afraid.
Ryanair would at least offer you the chance of a German base where you could mix with other Germans.But you'll be flying with Schreiner co-pilots who have all of 300 hours and watch your every move as if they're trainers.The cabin crew hate you,the co-pilot,and the passengers.Of course you'll have to endure 6 weeks at STN and EMA where you'll get spoken to like you're some kind of insect and listen to some********explain how to fly a Boeing 737 and show you where to pick up the moth-eaten photocopies of the Jeppesen plates.Everything is pro-active which is *******for "we dont want to know and we dont care".But if you're thick-skinned and totally lacking in any self-respect,why not?

And on the subject of "thick skinned" perhaps you could avoid the use of language that might be deemed racist or offensive. I note you have apologized further in this thread, nevertheless you can always edit your own posts ! On this occaision I have saved you the trouble.

I've been at Easy over two years now and would recommend it to anyone but that's not to say I am 100% happy with everything that's gone on during my time here. Most people I speak to are here for a quick command, 1000 hours in the LHS and then off to that dream job (where is that anyway?!).

Reason they generally give is that they don't think they can fly at this pace for more than 3-5 years without it (a) affecting their health or (b) affecting their marriage/relationship. However the company realise they need to keep crews happy to allow the expansion to continue and they are improving things in the rostering area. The constant starting on earlys and finishing on lates in the summer is very tiring - I hope it changes next year.

What's the money like? All depends on your cost of living doesn't it? I live a nice life (when I am not at work!!) but I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say easy get their money's worth out of you - there a few rostering/lifestyle issues which need sorting out particularly working in to your day off twice a month etc.

People? Generally great.

Will I stay? Yes - don't want to go longhaul or change company and I'm quite happy here for the time being getting what I came here for - I know quite a few colleagues who are about to resign though, all for the same reason - lifestyle.

Hello all,

I have been fortunate enough to have been granted an interview with easyJet in January. I have not heard from Ryanair, even though I have applied online (3 times) (Yes.. 3 times 50 pounds). I am a high time pilot, over 10,000 hours, however not type rated on the B-737. I look forward to my easyJet interview and am very excited about the possibility of working there. Living on another continent, I read all responses to inquiries regarding easyJet and Ryanair with much interest. If you have any advice for this high time newcomer to the JAA, please feel free to pass it along. I would love to know as much as possible about the easyJet and/or Ryanair interview process. I, too, am interested in hearing from those who work at these companies and from those who have left and their reasons for doing so.

It has been my priviledged to have flown as an airline pilot for nearly 18 years. I have been recently furloughed from a major US carrier due to a buy out ( American Airlines buying Trans World Airlines -TWA) which, because of circumstances beyond my control, I lost all my seniority from TWA.

I certainly am not bitter from what some might view as unfair circumstances. I will continue to strive to move ahead and try to turn any of life's roadbumps into positive experiences.

I have recently finished the conversion of my FAA ATP to the UK ATPL B-757/B-767 and welcome what challengers lie ahead. I have to admit, those 14 written exams were a real challenge. Fortunately, because my forefathers were European (Irish), I have been able to obtain dual US/Irish citizenship; a major hurdle for us yanks wanting to work in the EU. I welcome the opportunity to fly in Europe. I welcome the opportunity to fly alot. Losing the job that I loved... stinks! I'd much rather be flying than sitting home. Who wouldn't?

Friends... please know... I feel we have the second best job on the planet; personally I can't sing or play the guitar, so I will stick to flying airplanes. Yes, as pilots we spend alot of days away from family and friends. As parents, we miss alot of things that others don't...(kid's soccer games, graduations etc...) however, with that being said, most of us know deep in our hearts, we would not give this vocation up for anything. (Maybe a lottery win, but that's another story!) And, we spend money, lots of money, in obtaining the ratings and licenses needed for our careers in aviation. But we do it with the hope of one day finding that 'dream job'. (I wish that fulfillment for everyone).

Hope is what keeps me motivated. I hope and pray for a fulfilling job with either easyJet or Ryanair. I hear they aren't perfect... but who or what is? Certainly, not I! Life is what we make it. Grasp it, live it... carpe dium.

After all that said, I would love to hear from any easyJet and Ryanair pilots and be given their realistic, honest points of view from life on the inside.

Thanks,
TWF

I'm afraid I have a different view to Mactom whose opinion is not untypical of someone that has not been at easyjet for too long. After over 5 years, I like everyone else who has been there any length of time am totally knackered, my health has suffered and there have been other strains on my life. Many colleagues have gone part time with part time pay because it is the only way they can continue.

On the plus side the a/c are good and the training good but the orange rhetoric about the staff being the greatest asset etc is just so much hot air - they don't give a toss about staff especially pilots who are overpaid already (thats a quote I've heard several times over the years from the grotty orange shed). Leave which was advertised as being 36 days is in fact 4 weeks (20 working days) plus 8 days for public hols which my maths teacher always told me added up to 28. Why can't we have more leave - just ask the CEO - he doesn't think we should get anymore than the office workers because we're all to be treated the same (just don't think I'll go to work before 9 today then!) He forgets other differences though such as the office wallahs get a 25% bonus whereas we get 5% going to 10% after 5 and 15% after 10 years but that is all part of the aforementioned belief in the corrugated hall of greed that we're overpaid anyway.

There is talk about improving rostering and all that but there has been that talk about it every year and it hasn't happened yet - why - because it doesn't add money to the bottom line (in fact it does the opposite because any attention to crew lifestyle will probably require more crews) and the CEO doesn't care about anything else so as long as pilots come and join all will the same year after year. We've had a 6 on 3 off roster system but the reality has been 7 on and 2 off for much of the time.

Everyone will make there own minds up but this has been my experience and many others share my opinions - frankly the worse period of my working life.

Ryanair - don't know - haven't worked there but would consider it.

PS Before anyone comes up with the 'why haven't you left question' I'll answer it. Once you've moved house and got your teenagers in school and there exams are coming its not too easy to explain to the missus why you're on the move again so soon - at many easyjet bases the orange jets are the only serious player so there are limited options without relocating the family.

Working in Ryanair and having several friends in Easy I think its fair to say that both companies get there pound of flesh and that we all work bloody hard.

So basically it boils down to time off and money.

And if these two criteria are what does it for you then it would have to be Ryanair.

Guaranteed roster of 5 days on 3 days off whereas Easy 6 on 2 off

Average of £5000.00 net (in your dirty mit) every month for Line Captain in Ryanair.

Same job same bulls**t factor both companies but more time off and more money at FR. Sorry if its a simple philosophy but in the Low Cost game thats what cuts it for me.

The interview process for direct entry pilot is a short technical questionaire a sim assessing basic flying (raw data) and a non precision approach. The guys look for briefings crm and general behaviour. Nothing special.
I cannot speak about easyjet but I hear that their rosters are not what we have. We do not fly over Christmas day (shop is closed) on Christmas eve we finish much earlier, and on boxing day we start much later than usual. Flying is 5 on 3 off (5 earlies then off 5 lates then off), it is the same type of flying as easyjet do, 4 sector days and some times 2 sector days like Palermo and back. Money is good, and I take home after tax about 5500 GBP (LTC).
Good luck to you, depends what you want to fly, the bus or the 737
JP:D

Jettesen, Why so excited? Yes, I do know a few in each company and based on that and the fact that I have been following the development of both companies from the outside I would say that if I had a choice I'd go somewhere else. I had a choice.

Rananim. You are perfectly entitled to your views on Ryanair, but the way you express them with respect to your description of the Irish as ********can only be construed as offensive and racist.

I suggest you apologise.

dealt with

Rananim's post has been brought to the attention of a moderator.

Say Mach Number has the argument cracked.

5 1/2 years of easyJet left me knackered and with some heavy relationship issues to sort out-the only way I could do this was to leave.

If you can put a veneer of order on your life-you may just survive the LoCost sector-it is relentless, but I always felt I could have made it long term if my roster did not change so much-I had more stability flying ad hoc charter.

So if FRA pay well and stick to 5 on 3 off then that, believe me, is worth more that it might first seem.

Good Luck

Thanks....
 

To all fellow pilots who took the time to read and answer,....
Thanks for sharing your opinion / experience...
Most of your posts fit into the idea I've got so far.
Good luck to you and better times in 2004 for all of us

733

My sincere apologies.The Irish are fine people..but 733 asked a question and deserves a straight answer.