I fly for RYR.

I ask for higher levels as I can save fuel by doing so. I would not bother asking if the answer was always no (it is not).

I ask for directs as it saves fuel and time. I would not bother asking if the answer was always no (it is not), or if everyone was like the French and automatically offered the best routings without being asked.

For as long as there is a benefit in asking for these two things I will continue to ask for them, with the appropriate courtesy in the question, and with the appropriate gratitude to the controller for considering my request (regardless of outcome). Is that really so wrong?

I couldn't agree more WallyWumpus! I rarely ask for shortcuts because London, Maastricht, Rhine, Padova, Brest and Bordeaux offer excellent directs on every flight. If asked, they also respond to requests with the courtesy and honesty with which the request was made.

I don't see the problem and am baffled by the attitude of fellow professionals to our requests.

Firstly, my condolences.

Secondly, no not always.

That's NOT the norm:
-permanent Captains on FR contracts make 6000 net
-Captains on the new BRK deal (the one before the LTD where they pay tax in Ireland) make around 6000 net
-Captains on the old BRK deal (being replaced by the new LTD one as we speak) make 135€/scheduled hour so 135x75hours/month=10.125€x10.5 months=106.312€ per year GROSS, now you can add to it maybe 10.000€/year because they fly close to 900 hours sched which gives you 116.000 GROSS.(subtract tax if they pay it at all, social security if they pay it at all,pension, medical,car park,IDs,uniforms, hotels....)
-Captains on the latest Storm contract earn 125€/hour GROSS and the rest is just as above

Does it have to do with the fact that maybe FR has about 800 A/C movements per day?

MPH,

southwest has twice the number of a/c but you don't hear them constantly asking for weather or higher levels, same applies to LH or other big outfits that plan their flights at the optimum levels and use acars to gather info without congesting the air ways.

The world of aviation goes well beyond ryanir.

Year two Capt (RYR employee) - €62,000 salary.
60 hour month, take home after pension: €4700 = c£3800. Decreasing every month with a strengthening pound.
Weekly commute home.
Desert-bound.

That's because in the US pilots from every form of creation can obtain wx via FSS or Flight Watch... something I availed myself, because I was too damn lazy to use ACARS. Too bad in Euroland, Zurich is one of the only stations one can obtain weather at destinations and conditions around the region.

On my transcon flights I've heard numerous carriers request higher and directs, including SW with their twice as many aircraft as FR too.

Another good one I heard a couple of days ago:
ATC: "FR1234 are you aware that your destination aerodrome is closed?"
FR: "What is the reason for the closure?"
ATC: "The reason is blablabla..., how do you wish to proceed?"
FR: "It is ok, we will continue and we will make a decision with the next sector"
Is it just me that I find such a dialogue a bit surreal?
Not a hit towards FR pilots, I have friends there, but this reflects on the FR operation methinks. It all smacks of money saving, which must make life extremely unpleasant for their pilots.

Loed Spandex Masher
 

I would sooner be at FR in the short term than Flybe any day. I left FR a while back for pastures new. I wouldnt of had the same opportunity if I was working at Flybe.

As for your little dig at Wally.

Grow up!:D

65k? Not great? What kind of world do you live in?

I think I'm either extremely poor or you have a relative who's the CEO of a bank.

With that money I'll buy my own benefits!!

Coppi - what would you have done? I'm not exactly sure why you think that a decision to spend some time thinking about their decision was not good enough?

totally fail to see your point Coppi, just another poor piece of RYR bashing (hate to actually stand up for them!).

If the destination is closed then they ll end up going to an alternate so more than likely the next sector ATC sector is enroute anyway. Why would rush a decision like that anyway!

As for the rest of the thread, the nature of RYR operations ie using smaller airfields, there are bound to be more requests for weather as many of the airports don't have an ATIS or appear on Volmets and have higher minimums and as such as more susceptible to poor weather.

Coppi:

Are you telling me that if I were on a flight from JFK to LHR and Gander told me at 30 West that LHR was closed, I should go back to JFK?

Sorry son, I will keep going and discuss with the next authority (Shanwick) of the options such as Shannon, Dublin, Belfast, Manchester, Prestwick, Stansted, Machrihanish (just to show you that I can spell it) etc etc.

You don't know what you are talking about.

Bengerman, your post might just be the funniest thing I have ever heard. LMFAO. Pity its true!

Antonov, good for you. I wouldn't HAVE had the same opportunity, by the way.

What's Flybe got to do with it?

As for my little dig at Wally. No idea what you're on about.

Several of you guys missed my point which is probably my fault, as I wasn't very clear about it.
My comment was unrelated to the captain's decision to postpone his decision for later. It was about a crew being sent by their company to a closed aerodrome and about the lack of operational information given by FR to their crew. Maybe it is considered a normal occurrence in some airlines, but I luckily haven't been faced with such a problem yet.
Again, I will say that this reflects on the FR operation, the aerodromes that they operate to and the difficult working environment for their crews.

Coppi,

I am sorry if I missed the details in a post - but what makes you think the aerodrome was closed at the time the crew set-off? Is it not possible that it was closed for some reason after they got airborne?

Antonov,

Thank you for gallantly rushing to my defence, but I am sure that LSM's "condolences" comment was tongue in cheek and humorous, and not said with any malice. We say the same about Easyjet crew when we see them, it is just gentle ribbing, nothing nefarious.

Wally thanks for keeping your sense of humour*, not often found on this 'ere board.

My second comment was intend to produce debate, that didn't work either!







* Even though you do work for Ryanair.

Coppi is almost describing a flight a friend of mine did to Marrakesh (I believe it was there) not too long ago.

On speaking with Casablanca they were told it was closed due to an air show, they asked if it was NOTAM'd as being closed, to which they already knew the answer (no it wasn't!). The continued, and landed as part of the airshow after a short delay. :ok:

Coppi, you need to get your facts straight before jumping to conclusions based on you listening to a little bit of ATC.