Yep... what he said ^

:ok:

Pay deal has gone through so dash skippers will see a decent rise putting them on a par with the jet in three years. BALPA can do good work and fair play to the company council for getting far more out of the company than anyone expected without significant escalation.

With a few more improvements Flybe is looking more and more attractive, good luck to the cc to win them in the future. 👍

I have been reading this thread, and understand that the roster at Flybe is not great. Can anyone tell me how many hours a month can you expect in the Summer as a Q400 Skipper? How is the ratio between flight hours and duty hours? Also how many night stops can you expect if any from Belfast base? What about requests for holidays, are they usually granted on the requested dates? How stable is the company at the moment?
I know I have asked a lot of questions, and know the company has been through some very turbulent times recently, and it is not the same as it once was, but I would like to fly from my home airport, but I am not willing to accept poor terms and conditions just to do so.

Out of BHD I would expect 90-100 hour months in the summer, in excess of 800 hrs per year total assuming full time, likely close to 900 in reality.
Flight/duty hours are relatively on par, in essence, when at work you will be flying. Nightstops will vary depending on the crewing levels at other bases, basically you will only night-stop out of BHD to cover other bases, until you are LCY trained, (not everyone gets trained) Belfast generally has the lowest level of night stops within the company.
Expect to be bottom of seniority for holidays so will depend on demand obviously when you are looking to book.

If base is your priority, then Flybe might be a good option for you. BHD is the most stable and best one in the company (that is common opinion in case anyone claims bias!), it has the best crews to go on a day out with, airport access and closing times limit disruption compared to other bases, and lastly BHD will never be closed as long as Flybe exists as it is one of the company's main breadwinners for the dash.

Stability? Well who knows, but they are profitable and generally the routes are busy (except Saads obsession with BHD-LPL but thats another story).

Cons: 6 sector days are the worst, and you will do plenty of them out of BHD

To fly 90hrs a month in a turbo prop, with short sectors within the UK, sounds like very hard work, especially when the weather is bad. As for regular six sector days, I now understand why they have a problem retaining crews. Thanks for the info.

Well actually I think the crew retainment issue is a far wider problem than them doing 6 sector days, and considering the 6 sectors is confined to one or two bases it nowhere near explains why every base is losing pilots. To think otherwise is a little naive.

Hello everyone,

I have been offered a first officer job at Exeter. This will be my first job in the industry and I would like some information please.

1. Can you tell me what routes I can expect on my roster?
2. How long would I wait to be transitioned on to the Embraer fleet?

Anything else you feel I should know?

Thank you.

What routes can you expect on your roster?

Manchester, Manchester, Manchester, Channel Islands, Channel Islands and the odd Amsterdam for luck, and once you've flown them you'll go to Manchester some more.

Time to jet in Exeter for new starters? Expect the jet to leave the business before you get a chance. Alot of new guys didn't have to wait long at all, but that's because it was a fleet replacement aircraft. There's alot of first officers in base above you on the list now to leek through the system.

Congratulations on your first job! Flybe is a good first airline to cut your teeth with and the Q400 is about as difficult as it gets.

Thanks guys. How long would it take for someone to move into the Manchester base?

Congratulations Bloated Stomach, very pleased for you, I would have thought these were fairly basic questions you would have asked at the interview stage or even taken the time to look up their schedules on line.

Thank you Winston Fumble. Unfortunately I wasn't asked about my base preferences until offer of employment. As my first role after 4 and a half years looking for a job, I didn't want to jeopardise the opportunity.

Once you start you will be able to see the seniority list, the bidding system is twice a year and depending on people moving up/on etc you will get the move after 6 months or one year I would reckon.

Bloated, I can understand that. Good luck for the future.

Thanks Winston.

Flybe DEC.
 

Contract on offer from Flybe for DEC, requires an £18000 bond over three years, even if you have a valid Q400 rating, and are currently operating on type.

That can't be right.

Most of facts are all here.

Careers < Corporate | Flybe UK

The bond used to be £13.5k over three years (that changed on 1st April 2016), reducing from the date of your type rating. It's now £18k over five years, reducing after the first 12 months. And remember it is a bond, so only pay it if you leave the company. I think with Jet2, Thomson, Ryanair, Thomas Cook, Easyjet they all charge for the training whether you stay long term or not.

I don't know if the bond is still enforced if you are already rated, could negotiate that I think.

First proper pay deal in a few years will make it more attractive now. Selection, training and operations staff all very friendly and transparent.

Good company to work for from what I hear, they work hard but your home a lot more than most other operators. Very highly regarded training, safety and SOP standards.

If you want a regional base away from London and to be with your family more then this could be a good option.

Jet2 don't charge for training and give you twice as much time at home than you would get at Flybe, on vastly better pay in a non London base.

Increasing the cost and duration of the bond is an attempt by Flyby management to stop the exodus. Just to clarify. :ok:

JilderPilot.

You are correct in what you say regarding the bond, and the company has its merits. It was as the interview was coming to a close and we were talking about possible sim dates that I first learned about the bond. The guy was not flexible on this, regardless of rating or currency, and it was because of this I decided not to take it any further. Was I stupid, only time will tell, but these days a year is a long time in aviation never mind three.