Have heard close to 20 resignations in November? Including a few off to Ryanair, who for all the negatives, offer a roster that is concrete and predictable. Most J2 people I know regard it as an OK job, but a rubbish employer. The trump card is being home nearly every night, if roster stability collapses, and you are to tired to enjoy home life people will walk.

Is that a guaranteed 9 days leave in summer?

Jet2 Autumn 2014
 

Yup! Might not be the 9 days you want though! There's a bidding system. Three groups and A B C. One group gets the bid first. Then the second then the third. They rotate the first bidding group every year I think to make it fair!

All of the above accurately reflects what i'm hearing from a good number of crews, nursing knackered aircraft around to get the job done, getting stitched by crewing and screwing with your family life, thats the one thats making people leave,just because its a duty day doesn't mean your Messons bitch, a modern Britain means that Dad's have have family responsibilities too, unless you wan't to join the line at the local park with Dad's on a Weekend enjoying visiting rights.

Ryanair are offering UK bases to DEC right now on direct Ryanair contracts, it might not be perfect, but neither is a Summer of CWP 'we have changes to your roster' V 15 at week two.

Well for those of you who think the grass is greener on the other side, I've had no summer leave, actually no leave for eight months, hammered in summer with many changes and roster only just got quieter toward end of November and it'll be back to carnage when our Ski Flights start up in a few weeks.

With guaranteed summer leave, virtually a winter shut down and a regional base I can't see why anyone would give that up to go abroad!

The one thing Jet2 cannot afford, in financial terms as well as everything else, is cancelled flights and expensive ad-hoc operators to cover the programme due not enough crew! Quite frankly, management incompetence! Will Jet2 survive a Ryanair type "summer 2014 Brick-Wall" where a big re-think is required? Especially given its very seasonal nature, even after 10 years! But KEF, MIR and AYT are new routes - push the limits!

Just where is this company going?! Interesting few years ahead, could be a real winner for those sticking out the pain...or not! Interesting gamble!

Even if they decide to crew any one of the 3 standby 757's, given the guys leaving/deals done from that fleet, do you think you could seriously recruit type rated guys?!? I think the "news" is out in my company, even East German based guys no longer interested!

Pilot Apprentice pool it is then...40 sectors+...seasonal....

They do seem to make a bit of a dogs breakfast of recruitment every year. Always a big splash on adverts in flight, nice fancy on line recruitment system, lots of people herded in, then silence.... No one hears anything for ages. Prime candidates drift off elsewhere, and new starters left with a bad taste on day one.


The local base, home most nights was the main attraction, but that sounds like its slipping away. Doing everything on the cheap is not always best value.

Jet2 Autumn 2014
 

Guys all well and good. And all points made above are valid.

Jet2 isn't a rubbish airline to work for. Where I gained with the Jet2 contract I lost something else e.g 5/4 roster and a free commute. But no where is perfect. I believe the perfect airline is where you as an individual finds yourself based where you want and you're happy. Albeit on a 737 or an ATR etc.

Any airline for example FR, Jet2, BA etc all have their pluses and minuses. I Believe the next 5 years and especially the next 10. You're going to see a huge transformation in the European market. Leaded by FR and EZY etc. Ryanair seems to be pumping a mass volume of money into data collection and really getting into the minds of their potential consumers and shaping the company to facilitate their needs. This will include package holidays in the future and that combined with a new customer image and by then new planes and a sharp and comfortable interior with hundreds of destinations to choose from, I really think Jet2 & co should really stand up and take notice. Ryanair will be competing directly with Jet2 and TUI etc but with a much lower cost base.
At least TUI recognise this some what and have made an order on new aircraft. My concerns for Jet2 is that the company' mentality is too reactive to stand a chance against a machine like FR. I do accept Jet2 have a great brand and an awareness to it's customers for the most part. I feel jet2 needs to do what FR and Flybe are doing right now. Which is accepting who they are and forget what they think they are and work from there to streamline their imagine.

The fleet, management attitude, management structuring ( lots more chiefs then Indians!), Operational decision making, operational costs, crewing and rostering all need to be rejigged. If they can't be honest with themselves. How can they be honest with their staff and customers?

A point well worth considering. One of the individuals gorter refers to as giving up home base to work abroad for RYR was a tre and one of, if not the, most senior pilots in the company.

Do you hear alarm bells?

Jet2 Autumn 2014
 

All in my humble opinion of course.

I just went for the interview etc and - talking to the guys there - and others - it actually doesn't seem like a bad place to work at all. Yes - the summers are crazy busy and the aircraft are not exactly 'just out of the box' to put it mildly... but the one thing I came away with was an ethos of actually treating their crews as people (albeit people who are there to make them money) rather than just a number on a roster.....just a shame I cocked up the sim!

Jet2
 

Lafyar Cokov
sorry to hear about the sim, you are in good company it is alleged that the DFO failed to pass too.

I have to say I was impressed with the attitudes displayed at the sim/selection day, and from the conversations I've had with those crew members I have met, their morale is certainly higher than in some o the other competitors mentioned. I was quite disappointed to have to decline the job offer because once I could work out the total pay, which had to be based on a few assumptions because they were a little coy, it became apparent I couldn't afford both the pay cut and the costs of digs in the base offered. They responded to my declining the offer with good grace, too, which is more that I expect from many employers. I think if you want to live in the north, you could probably do a lot worse than Jet2. I can't say what their roster is like in real life, but while I'm sure that they're tiring, please don't think the 5/4 RYR offer is any less so - the RYR pilots hit 100 hrs every month in summer on mostly 4 sector rather than 2 sector days, so the same number of flight hours but more turnarounds and more time in the crew room and commuting to and from work. Swings and roundabouts, guys - it was doing longer two sector days that was one of the appeals to me, though some might consider that a negative. Horses for courses and all that, but just because it doesn't suit you, it doesn't make the company a bad employer. If nothing changes, I would consider them again in the future when my personal costs and responsibilities change.

The point is that well educated, very well paid, respected Pilots make decisions to join Jet 2.
There is enough internet info, crew room banter to know exactly what your getting before you join. To start moaning after one season when there are Staff in the Office (and in the air) giving their all to ensure the airline prospers, many on low salaries just makes me so angry I could throw the phone down :\

Just Enough to Get By
 

Jet2 just as their former incarnation Channel Express did, do just enough to keep most people, they are masters at the home life / work balance and offer a package that is not that attractive on a global scale but if you live near one of their bases and want a home life it is not worth upping sticks for more money.

Providing things stay the same oop north and no new airlines move ito town the remuneration package will not change, should the situation change Jet2 will after a few resignations undoubtedly up their game on pay and conditions.

Shuffler.
Not a pay cut going from FR to LS.
Not unless:
1: you weren't paying tax (they'll catch up with you)
2: you were getting relief for the type rating (short termist and not like-for-like)
3: you were STN or DUB and it suited you.
You can't claim one way or the other until you've had pay packets from both.

16024, are you suggesting you know what each and every pilot in RYR earns and what their tax liabilities are to be able to determine my gross and net pay? Unfortunately, you are wrong. I wish you weren't, but you are, to the tune of about £15k. Oh, and by the way, I'm on PAYE, so no, I'm not a tax evader. Nor do I get any training relief - I was never a RYR cadet. There are some people in RYR who earn a reasonable wage, not as much as the managers and PR folk state, but enough that wages are not one of our personal issues. The company has a multitude of different contracts and pay scales, and most bases don't know what each others' deals are, so don't assume you know just because of what you read or heard about a few bases. It's an illustration of how they divide and conquer and a part of why I want to leave - not because of what I earn, but because how badly paid and treated many colleagues on different deals are. I'd like to see everyone find a better job and leave them high and dry. So, while I appreciate that for many RYR pilots it'd probably give a pay rise, it doesn't for me.

As a Ryanair UK employee. The salary at Jet2 for me would be around the same as my current Ryanair contract. What Jet2 offer me is a better base and more pleasant working environment.

Do they have a max age limit to join.

"Can't be picky"
 

Contrary to Gorter's assumption Jet2 can afford to be extremely choosy, there appears to be no shortage of highly qualified and experienced candidates coming for the selection procedure. Many of these do not make it through for whatever reasons, so that doesn't come across as Jet2 not being anything other than choosy.