EZY as a career?
 

I know a lot of people blast EZY for a variety of things, but I would be interested to hear of people who are there and are happy to stay. What is it about EZY that you like, and why aren't you looking for a new job?
I am thinking about applying but I want somewhere I can stay and settle in rather than a job that I will use to build hours to go somewhere else.
Thanks all in advance....

They pay reasonably but let down by poor pension, no health care etc. The main reason for staying is if you get the base you want. Whatever that base is hope it's an airbus base. You don't want on the 73. The rostering is crap but the union seems to slowly be making progress there. Probably the best of the LCC's and quick command prospects too. The question is do you want to work for an LCC?

orangetree
Rostering is not crap, its just for a change Pilots are having to work fairly hard for a living, something they are clearly not used to. On another thread Pilot Pete who works for TFLY states how hard he is (not) working, 3 flights in Nov, loads
of time off, day off pay at £500+, and time for his business on the side and to see the kids. Thats what all Pilots want really?. How can you justify paying 90k for doing nothing.

If I run my scheduling through SAFE then all I see is red....how would you like to have 7 days on including a PRG-TLV-PRG redeye starting at midnight local, get back just in time for lunch, then have to endure the psychotic neighbours with the DIY penchant for jackhammering furniture all day. After you fall asleep and wake up at 8 pm all 'refreshed' then you find out that you've got a 0600 briefing for a morning BRU, AMS or CPH. So go to sleep? Or wonder around poking at things till 0300 when you finally drift off only to be awakened an hour and a half later? Some of us have it good some of us not so good, I wouldn't throw all pilots in the same bag, perhaps the example you are using is abnormal but it begs the question for how long? And also, it could be the result of not being around the whole summer putting in the 100+ flight hours a month while the unwashed masses vacation.

SAFE?
 

Sorry to interupt... What is SAFE? Is this some kind of fatigue checker? Is it available to public?

Would like to run my roster for a check...

Thanks.

Hi Hufty!!


Why do I like easyJet?? :cool:

I am now at the base where I want to be...which has raised my happiness level by about 200%, and please keep in mind that there are different issues at all bases.

But what keeps me in easy is:

- The reasonably good money
- The fact that you are home every day
- No night flying
- Overall attitude of the crew and the casual/relaxed attitude in the company
- Well-maintained new aircrafts
- The fact that while terms and conditions in many companies are on a downhill slope, they seem to be going uphill in easy.

Yes, we do fly a lot!! But I am not really sure the grass is greener on the other side. :ooh:

Life at EZY is geting better. Rosters are fixed at 5/3/5/4 for winter and, subject to a vote, will be 5/3/5/4 for summer 07. Money is pretty good £85k+ for a Captain. Pension could be better (9% if don't opt for taking 2% out to salary in last pay review). Medical benefits would be welcome.....

It does appear that there is now a constructive dialogue going on between BALPA and the Company. They are working together and taking a realistic view - a sea change to 18 months ago. The new CEO realises that you simply cannot afford to keep losing pilots at the rate we were last year. Having had a 1 to 1 with him recently, he is determined to get the crew establishment correct. This will not only improve lifestyle for pilots but will also prevent a repeat of this summers sub-chartering. In recognition of this summers difficulties, ALL staff were given 2 weeks basic salary worth of shares - again, unheard of under the "old" regime.

If you can get to your base of choice, then I think EZY is probably one of the best / most secure / friendly / dynamic / opportunity filled / progressive options available.

A4

:ugh:
as it's Panto season, let me kick off..
Oh Yes It Is...

Rostering has been poor in the past, and depending on your base, can still be quite poor. The positive thing is that rostering and other lifestyle issues have improved and continue to improve under the new CEO and his team. It really is a different company with fresh management - and it shows.

We do work long days, though at my base we have a mixture of 2 and 4 sector days from about 5-6 hours duty to 11 hours. I rarely see roster changes and my standbys are becoming more and more like days off. Crewing levels at sought after bases are settling down.

The new CEO has a business philosophy of treating people well. And look at our year end results - it works!

Operationally the company has a good reputation for safety and standards, and the effort made to maintain this reputation is considerable.

As others have pointed out: my roster patterns rarely has me working more than half the month, I'm home every night, work with great people and get to fly new aircraft around Europe. The pay is as good as anywhere else - unless you're a long serving FO and BA - and command time is short. It's also one of the most secure jobs around too.

TFly may have good T&Cs right now, but at some point the parent company is going to realise that future growth and security is going to come only through seeking better value out from its assets.

There are some here who have put up with so much nonsense over the years that improvements are hard to recognise, and trust hard to accept. I've been here a few years and, whilst others will disagree, if you want to fly short haul around Europe then this is as good as anywhere, and better than many.

JB

Great people, great equipment, great routes.

My rostering has NEVER (six years) been crap, and I havent had a roster change in almost two months. For a lot of people, it is VERY stable, and the pattern improvements will only make it better! :D

Dont listen so much to the moaners, as I believe, it is too long since they sampled random rostering, as is the case in most other airlines.... ;)

...and you don't wear a cap!

Surely good rostering on modern aircraft (2.2 years old) home everynight working only 10 days in every 17, on good money has to be considered to be a good job right now.

The CC are proposing a points based loyalty system so that you can buy bupa/lol/childcare vouchers etc and tailor the package exactly how you want.

The CEO has said that he wants to have bases all over europe. To quote "you don't bother sticking a couple of airbus in MAD if you dont want bases all over spain."

It is going to be big. Really big.

The future is entirely bright under Harrison and having carefully considered leaving twice I can say there is nowehere else worth going to.:ok:

Thanks for all the feedback and the PMs. I'm very happy where I am but I would like a little more security. I don't want to keep moving about so want somewhere I can settle into and stay hence the question! So we'll see what happens now! ;)

Thanks.

Forgive me if this is a bone question:

Standby days, what is the deal? is the 5-3-5-4 roster counting the days off as standby or not? Or are standby days instead of working days: ie you should expect to work them and if you don't it's a bonus.

As someone who might be working for easy in the not too distant future I think they are a pretty good company with good prospects which is definitely one of the most secure options around.

A standby day must occur within your rostered working days. E.g:

On-On-On-Standby-On

Off Off Off

Standby On On On On

Off Off Off Off

I worked for easy for about 2 years and couldn't cope with the schedule. It is punishing.

I now believe that whatever Airline you work for you will fly 900 hours per year. While I was at Easy I didn't believe that, hence the reason why I moved.

However my move was well worth it. The benefits at easy jet tend not to be as good as other Low cost operators.(Excluding the likes of Jet 2) No private health care and over the year not that many days off. Easy is OK when your looking for a start within an Airline just don't stay too long.

Just as a comparison I now get 190 days off per year. At Easy its 137!! (Contractual)

Oh and the staff travel is OK if you think the world ends at South Spain.

NOW, in EZy you work 196 days a year (that means you get 169 days off including leaves etc..).
You donot get staff travel on other airlines but you get it on the U2 network (and it doesn't end in South Spain)..
We have 17 bases now expanding and yeas we fly close to 900 hrs a year, but do you really think we are the only ones..
We get ok money and the conditions are improving, we will have to hire about 200 pilots for 2007 (i think it's more but not sure so I stop at 200) and the company now realises the conditions have to improve to atract more crew and I think they are improving and they will.
I love it...
Speevy

U2 network ? slightly off the subject but can u explain what it is ?
thx:ok:
bleeds

U2 is the 2 letter code for Ezyjet
Speevy

2007 recruitment is 450-500 pilots ...... :eek:

Yes you do work at EZY. I did 820 hours last year.... but it's not as onerous as some people make out. The 5/3/5/4 fixed roster is a significant improvement and I think it's closer to 180 days off per year. My colleagues who work in the "real world" - 9 to 5 - acknowledge that I do have some early starts and late finishes but are quite envious of me having alternate 3 and 4 day "weekends".

It's personal choice. I'm not interested in long haul - young family and I like being at home every night. Personnaly I couldn't imagine doing 4 trans-atlantics per month - I'm sure the novelty would soon wear off - but that's only MY opinion before I get jumped on!

EZY is a dynamic company, expanding at a sensible rate, offering almost unparalleled opportunites. New bases opening across Europe, potentially rapid Command prospects, a very high standard of operation demanded - and met. Anyone considering joining could do MUCH worse.

A4

You constantly hear about new bases but how about brand new routes from the existing big bases, i.e. LTN, STN and LGW ? Any on the cards?

Well, there have been many more new routes from all airports than new bases!

Marrakesh, Bordeaux, Rimini, Istanbul to name some new London destinations.

When you talk of popular/unpopular bases which are the best to be based. I'm still wavering about leaving a longhaul position because the base I get would be critical to me. Are they good to their word if they promise you a certain base? It is important to me that I'm based in Newcastle if I join... is it popular? What about command prospects?

Sector Pay
 

I will be starting with EZY in April as a Direct Entry FO, and was wondering if anyone out there currently flying for them would post how much of the sector pay is taxed and on average how much do you take home a month.

Cheers:)

How can so many of you guys, write "reasonably good money" about the salaries at Easy?? A friend of mine told me he makes almost 5000 Euro net pr. month on a UK base as a senior F/O.
I have the same experience as him and are on the same type and are making a little more than half that amount, with a better pension though, but no health insurance included. I'm flying at a low cost/charter operator in mainland Europe.

I think the salaries in Easy seems very, very good compared to a lot of companies in Europe or am I completely wrong???

Cheers

I think Ezy is a good place for people who want to go places (command/training), or who are tied to a certain place of work or want to be home every night and I really enjoyed flying out of NCL. You get shiny new jets to play with, a fairly stable roster, training is 1st class and everyone I've met in person (below management level anyway) has been incredibly friendly and genuine.

But you don't get somthing for nothing. As a career, don't underestimate how tough the LCC lifestyle is. It's not just the rostering (which is improving) but the whole package - the long days, pressured turn arounds, the 150 chavs in the back who all know their rights and are hard work at the best of times. You don't have much control over your day to day life ie swapping shifts, days off etc compared to other airlines I've worked for and crewing I find, with a couple of delightful exceptions, rude and obstructive. Maybe not an issue in the short-term but missing nearly every party you get invited to does piss people off year after year. Some people can let the constant barrage of Orangeness wash over them, some get really wound up by it.

LCC life is difficult to sustain long-term and there are a number of examples of normally strong and healthy people having medicals suspended/crashing cars on the way home etc who will bear me out on this. Things are changing for the better but very slowly. Ezy has never tried to be a career airline and unless you have a good reason to go I wouldn't consider it long term, but it depends what you want and whether the plusses are going to outweigh the minuses.

The exception being if you can afford to go part-time in the future - you get your flying and you have a life!

As far as I know DEC's were never displacing SFO's who wanted upgrades. There were only so many SFO's eligible for command and any DEC's were "top ups". Certainly SFO's were told anyone who is eligible and passes the command assessments this year will get a command.

Last I heard was that if you joined the company you would be looked at during your first recurrent check and then could enter the process after that. It would be doubtful that you would get your command within 6 months of joining (unless they have exhausted the supply of internal SFO's eleigible for command). A year maybe more realistic, maybe longer.

Hi everyone.
Here some easy questions for guys/girls who recently trained at easyJet:
Where does conversion training on the A319 take place for easy newhires?
And what is the length of the type rating course? Where do base training and line training take place? Is it at the assigned initial base?
Thanx

As a former orange pilot I'll chip a penny's worth.

Is easy a good place to work? YES good folk niced jets good SOP'S good attitude to training improving roster.

Is easy a career airline? NO and will never be! And the same can be said for any of the loco's!

If your want(or have to) work for a loco then easy is about as good as it gets, however the best thing I ever did was to get out of loco operations. I know have a life outside workand have a reasonable amount of control of my roster,even in a corporate operation! Sure I don't make a s much money but i do have time to spend what I have and I've re-met a lot of old friends!

flag airline to low cost
 

i allready ask for some opinions in another thread, sorry if its repetitive for any of you, but look this is the rigth place to look for an opinion,
i´m actually a f/O with not mach seniority in iberia, nice payment, and quite a good agriment in terms of lost of licence, ( job guaranted) plus some help with private insurance, etc.
due to my age , 40. and an sliming company due to the creation of click air, i´m willing to leave, due to the opening of the madrid base i have aplied to ezy, but if im able to pass, i´will be looking to make a career, so please
tell me what can i expect from ezy, and any opinion will be wellcome
like info about coversion type, i´m a md87/88 pilot, madrid base expctations and capt promotion, thans in advance

You want to leave Iberia for easyJet ???? :eek:
How many sectors a day do you fly at Iberia ? what's your salary ? what's the Iberia pension scheme like ?

suerte :cool:

Blanza,

How about we swap jobs? :}

Sounds like you just want to get on the left-hand seat quick and I'd really enjoy the quiet luxurious life on a right-hand seat at Iberia!

A left-hand seat isn't everything...

roaster
 

the roaster is not that good, 70 to 80h, 6 roaster of 3 days a month, so total 18 days with 3 sector normal, depens on where you go, airbus is doing medium haul too like israel or dakar malabo moscow, and valencia or seville, 12 days a month you are overnight somewhere, which i´ts tyring, too much time away from home, money with seven year seniority its 10k or 15k below a easy capt, but growing every 2 years, pension , i dont have references,, iberia it´s the one in spain with a pension scheme. problably a 15%, sorry for not be to precise, not sure if i should give details in public, are you an easy capt? can we compare figures in private?

you are right, i´ve been changing companys for 13 year to improve my professional and financial situation, last time in left seat was 10 years ago in a metroliner, freigtdog, night flying, etc.
iberia unions have make agreements thinkig that one day you will be a long haul capt, with my seniority and my age, i doubt seriusly if i ever be. things have to change a lot, at the monent iberia its leaving the short haul in the hands of airnostrum and clikair, but in the next 3 year we are going to have 25 planes less, means no new contracts, no wining seniority

probably a few of us are getting too nervous, and could be a big mistake, this is why i want constructive opinion and as much info as i can
thanks again

Blanza, I was told EZY Madrid will be 21 working days and only 10 OFF per month, up to six sectors a day if you do the domnestics, otherwise 3 or 4. You will have months of 100 hrs.You will have to start as an F/O for at least a year, during which your salary will be a lot lower than Iberia. The first six months as a captain are on a lower salary as well. No company pension nor loss of licence. As you are not airbus rated you will be bonded. The choice is yours, but think twice.

Surely it will be like every other EZY base where you will do mostly 4 sector days, average about 85hrs a month over 16 days of work, get paid £46k as a SFO and get a Command within a year if you have the hours then make a 90% salary for 6 months then a full one for the rest of your career?

Which is £74k + £10k sector pay + 5/10/15% bonus + share options + 9% pension.


Please highlight the better option.

Cheers

WWW

Not withstanding the above, the recent disruption caused by fog in the UK has accidently revealed that ezy crewing is actually a call centre based in Mumbai and it is run by people who do not seem to have a clue about how to manage personnel!

thanks, usefull info

Just for the record EZY does have loss of licence and a money purchase pension where they contribute 9% (isn't that better than BA for new joiners?). The roster is fixed 5/3/5/4 so you can do the math regarding days off. Three sector days must be very unusual as there are very few nightstops. 100 hour months also means that you will run out of hours at some point in the year...

I still would not leave Iberia though. First there is no guarantee that you will have a command in Madrid. Are you prepared to move to Latvia (or wherever) to get that command? secondly EZY is a UK company and if it suits them at some point in the next 20 years they will move out of Spain, Iberia is obviously not going to do that. Thirdly although things are tough at Iberia, because the erosion of terms and conditions, the reality is that they are still much better than elsewhere; you may be in for a culture shock. Lastly in Iberia you can look forward to a mix of long/short haul and flying different types, variety throughout your career in other words.

Perhaps you can ask for unpaid leave from Iberia so you can still return if you don't like the taste of the grass on the other side of the river.

In any case good luck

[QUOTE=calypso;3032937]Just for the record EZY does have loss of licence and a money purchase pension where they contribute 9%

This is not quite correct. Terms and conditions for (finally, after 6 month) MADRID based pilots are different!
For the time being there is no pension pay for MAD based pilots, and no loss of licence (up to now!)
And the percentage of UK contract pilots is UP to 9%, depending on the individual decision. Definitly you get 7 % on an UK contract.

My opinion, BLANZA,

think at least twice, before giving up IBERIA.

to do 3 sectors a day without nightstop away from base, it is possible to do a triangle like for instance Madrid - Rome - London Gatwick - Madrid !