BMI Baby
 

Hi folks, could someone shed light on what it`s like to work for BMI Baby in terms of rostering, hours, sectors etc. I hear they may be recruiting soon. Thanks.

Be prepared to be messed around, short notice changes, hassled on days off. The company will always be connected to BMI, and thus its infrastructure. Don't expect too much compassion.

Discretion at least once a week, minimum rest at least twice a week. In summer expect 60-70 sectors, winter 40-60 a month.
You will be close to 100 hours every 28 days, close to 900 every 12 months.

Fatigue is rife, moral is the pits.

Less leave, salary,less pension,less bonus (if they ever honour current contracts) than Easy/Ryan. Less salary

If you join as an F/O, the likelihood of command is zip. There are plenty of ex-BMI F/O's who have the hours, currently 4000 hrs for an assessment, let alone a command.

Use it as a stepping stone by all means. You have been warned. term.

Thanks for the insight.

Shippley or other baby drivers.
perhaps you could post pay/sector pay/etc and other T's & C's. I was under the impression that pay was comparable to easy.
Thanks.:confused:

Shippley, sounds great compared to the bunch of muppets I work for! Will they look at non type rated? Do they have any deal through bmi for those with deep pockets to purchase said rating? If you can help, cheers.

Shippley, if its that bad why do you work for them?

Mialo, f/o salary - £38`950 basic
Flt pay - £12 per sector of which 70% is untaxed.

Worked out, f/o monthly take home approx £3100!

Why how much do easy get paid? Basics less than that and sector pay isnt much higher.

I was told about 18months to command, when all the mainline captains return to london when their secondment period expires. Also 4000hrs will be reviewed in future when baby receives AOC! Prob more like 3500hrs

Think the main reason lifes as shippley says is probly cause most of baby pilots are borrowed from mainline but once the ties have been cut and baby has a full compliment of its own boys (and girls..sorry) in the coming few months then hopefully it will settle down and only get betta!!! :)

I hope :}

Tee White Nun
 

easy F/O average take home ( based on mate's word) £2,800 per month.

New salary £41k and a tad, minus food allowance = £40k ish + £12 per sector. So pretty much same really, I think both companies are going to work your preverbials off, such is the nature of low cost/fares airlines.

So if money is the same it probably comes down to how they treat you. Midland have never been employee fiendly and easy look like the same.

From what I understand, 70% of £12 sector pay at Easy is taxable, so that doesn't leave you with much at a 40% tax rate. Leave is better though at Easy, as for every 6 days of leave, you get 6 days off tagged along so for every 12 days of leave you take you end up with 21 days of time off. BMI is 5 weeks total, so hopefully that will change in the future.

All I have done is tell you how it is. It is a free world the choice is yours.

Many of us went to Baby with promises. These are being ignored, and as such many are seeking to leave. Those who stay are doing so because of the bond.

This is low cost at the lowest.

As for commands, do the numbers.
13 a/c, 4 crews per a/c. 52 commands. Actual vacancies approx 6.
Approx 14 F/O's 3000hrs+ incumbent, and all those forced to Baby still ahead of you. You will be bottom of a very long list.

It is not my intention to put any body off, just giving you an insight. No job is perfect. Its horses for courses.

If money is your only goal, fill your boots. There is more to life than 8 days off a month !!!!!!!!!

As for me, I am leaving.

Originally posted by Meeb :

For the current period, I wouldnt think so.

There is a lot of training going on with new F/O's, then there is a requirement to train more training captains, then finally new commands. Dont think there will be a lot of space in the sysytem until the autumn. It all comes down to money. There are a lot of 737 drivers around at the mo, so no need for conversions. Those taken on without type ratings were contractual agreements.

Another problem is the new base. There is currently a glut of captains at LHR, and they might be attracted to Baby because of the transfer deals at present. This is the unknown factor, because people will only go back if a command vacancy exists. lf there is no expansion at Baby then these people will stay.

Baby does have a lot of good people working for it and they are trying to change things to bring it upto Easy and Ryan air. It might be a long battle.

Quote from Shippley "There are a lot of 737 drivers around at the mo, so no need for conversions."

Maybe should point them in the direction of Jet2 as they cannot get typed folks... :suspect:

THX 4 the info !

jet2 can't get drivers because of their T&C's........not because of lack of drivers.

Thanks for that Shippley.

Jet 2 terms & conditions are to be improved from next month which will see them on a par with Baby.

I doubt whether your observation of a surplus of rated and experienced 737 pilots is entirely accurate as Jet 2 cannot get people to enquire, let alone inform them of the terms. :confused:

I am one of those type rated with approaching 1000hrs on type.


I have applied to GB/Easy/Titan/Jet2/Excel/Astraeus and have not even had a reply.

Things are obviously not that bad in the world.

Thanks for that Shippley, you obvioulsy have looked into the situation somewhat. Not good news for those of us hoping 737 operators will hire non typed peeps... :uhoh:

And the only decent one out of them, GB - Are down to 2x B737's...Can't see any spaces there !!!

Is It Worth It???
 

Sorry to break the subject thread a tad, nothing to add only pose!
A question that is!

I started ab-initio to ATPL(A) some time back with the goal and background of everyother wannabe driver! But alas my Training provider went belly up and took £7K of CDL and swallowed my ground exams too ( alledgedly sent to CAA, CAA say no)

My position is poor, fortunately aspects of the rest of my life are good and im still a baby (21).

Too the question, is it worth it? Should I bother?

AOCs seem to be wanting more and more from potential app and you can look on spending £90K these days just to put your case on the table!

Would I be wiser excepting a ATCO pos @ NATS?

Cheers guys, sorry for asking the same old same old.

Hope you work out your probs at wherever, lucky bastards!!!!

Some of my colleagues/friends, over the last few months, have decided to walk away from the industry and do something completely different. A great many I've spoken to are desparate for the financial freedom to do the same. I've never, in over two decades, known the attitude to the career to be this low.

I should also mention those colleagues/friends who've lost their medicals, permanently or temporarily, due to stress and, very possibly, stress/fatigue/lifestyle related illnesses.

Time will tell if it settles down or gets worse. IMHO it can only get worse. :(