Thomsonfly-terms conditions and pay
 

A bit of a major title sorry! Thomsonfly have been looking for direct entry captains. As a possible hopeful I am looking for a few golden nuggets from those in the know.

1) As a new captain what can you expect your monthly take home to be on average? (B737 fleets)
2) What is a typical roster pattern ie days on, days off, approx number of nightstops per month (if any)
3) How does duty time compare to block time?
4) Average monthly/yearly hours?
5) What is included in the package? ie BUPA, Loss of License, uniforms etc
6) General feeling of worth within the company?

Thank you all for your time and any help you can provide.

You won't be disappointed.

I've been with them nearly two years and I have no complaints.

Take home pay with flexi working is higher than other UK 737 operators.

Stable rosters with plenty of time off.

Generous annual leave.

Private health is excellent - I've used it for my family already.

Final salary pension after 5 years service.

Most importantly, a comfortable culture to work in!

Best of luck!

FBN

i wouldn't count on a final salary pension scheme in five years.

they are dead an buried.

thomson are no different to anyone else. it will be shut for everyone forever inside three years.

Be a bit careful here. The BASIC is pants, Flexiworking is not a surefire earner, especially at smaller bases. I can't speak for the 737 fleet but I understand that the high rolling days of mass flexi are coming to an end as they get establishment right.

BALPA are trying to negotiate a pay deal but seem to be poles apart from the usually silly company offer. As usual, there has been a recent flurry of "hard times" notices coinciding with pay negotiations.:hmm:

Also, flexi is not pensionable, nor is sector pay so it is these areas the company is trying to raise. Simply put, if you don't do a lot of flexi and/or rostered flying (and for a host of reasons many don't), the pay is poo.:{

I would agree with the rest of it though. As for the pension being wound up? Anyone's guess but historically there are periodic downgrades of the deal for new joiners. If you join as a Captain, tales of crossing over to the 757/767 should be treated with caution as regardless of rank, you join at the bottom of the seniority list. There are a few rumbles on that one from senior FOs on the "big" fleet and junior Capts on the "little" fleet which will need sorting at some stage. :E

What do the guys get who are not a final salary scheme? Is it a money purchase scheme? if so, how much is Tfly contributing?

Thanks for the replies guys but and anyone actualy put figures to the questions. 'Its good' and 'dont rely on a final salary pension' tells me little.
Thanks again

If the conditions the passengers have to put up with have any bearing on how the company treats it's staff, I'd stay well clear having just had the 2 worst flights ever :*

Year 1 captain basic £63400
Sector pay captain £16.64
Duty pay £2.85 per hour
Captain's Flexi Work daily rate £524

Basic pay scales increase by about £1000 per year of service.

Don't know about Money Purchase Pension Scheme as I am Final Salary....

Rosters VERY stable with Block Window Protection of +/- 2hrs on start/ end times. I've flown 500hrs in the rolling 12 month period, but I was on a Command Course until August last year. Expect 650hrs, but due to increase with introduction of Carmen rostering.

Can't say about 'average' number of night-stops on the 737 as it really depends on where you are based. I am Manchester and we only have 1 x 737 (will be 3 by the end of the year) and I spend a few nights away each month flying out of Doncaster or Coventry.

Lots and lots of time off if you include leave (42 days). BDOs about 10-12 per month. Flying getting more and more varied on the 737, especially if you are at a charter base; I fly ALL charter routes out of Manchester and low cost if out of the 3 low cost bases (Coventry, Doncaster and Bournemouth).

It's not all roses as has been pointed out and we will have a fight on our hands to keep this an 'employer of choice' and not end up becoming too 'easy' or 'ryan'.

You can still do a lot worse.....

PP

Edited to add;

Training is all paid for unless you are a non-type rated joiner (about £10,000 I believe). Uniform provided, as are ALL hotac and travel costs from base, including simulator!!! Food and drinks provided onboard (some would argue with the use of the term 'food'!!).

Do remember it is a SENIORITY based airline and everyone joins at the bottom, so you will be number 600+ if you join now. Unless expansion continues for a number of years you will spend a long time in the right seat joining now....

Why are they still after direct entry 737 skippers then? Is this likely to continue for long?

and six contract captains.

757/767 fleet
 

could anyone please tell me where the 757/767 aircraft are based and which base is the best overall. many thanks

rotafix,

Take your pick

LGW, MAN, CWL, BHX, EMA, NCL, GLA, LTN, STN, BRS

All bases have their good and bad points.

LTN used to be great as you parked within spitting distance of the crew room front door. EMA is still like that.

At the larger bases it will be a while before you meet everyone. Bases like MAN and LGW tend to be pilot heavy and therefore we spend time helping out the smaller bases. I enjoy flying from the smaller bases because its usually less hastle and you're more likely to get away on time.

Which has to be balanced with the greater variety of flying and all year round longhaul at MAN and LGW............

PP

Thomsonfly's 757/767 bases are Gla, Ncl, Man, Ema, Bhx, Stn, Ltn, Lgw, Brs, Cwl. 737 only bases are Cvt, Dsa and Boh.

The best base? That depends what you want and where you want to live. If long-haul is your preference then Lgw and Man are the bases to choose between. If you're after a DEC position then it's the 737 and don't have any delusions of quickly hopping across to the 757/767 fleet since as PP says, you'll be joining at the bottom of the seniority list with many Captains ahead of you.

Can't let that go, I'm afraid - I had two very good flights CVT-BCN-CVT last week. Both departed on time and arrived 10 mins early. Cabin staff very professional, despite pax who would not believe CAA regs until shown the ops manual. Two super-smooth landings as well, and all that for £61.00 :ok:

I agree - TFly is a revelation in lo-co travel. Despite significant weather delays back into Coventry, the service was great! :ok:

Sorry, but the T-fly co-pilots don't want any more direct entry Captains - and who can blame them?

As for command on the B757/767 there are 250+ co-pilots ahead of you in seniority. Promotions run at about 15 per year - go figure!

LJ

That's fine, but surely these are the very same T-fly B757/767 co-pilots that are turning their noses up at a 737 command because they wouldn't be seen dead in such a tiny shorthaul aeroplane?

Ditto
 

I alco had two very good flights DSA-ALC-DSA last week. Both departed/arrived on time. Cabin staff very professional....

Err, no. Most I have spoke to have decided to stay on the 75/767 because they didn't want to work 4 sector days with minimum rest, 5 earlies in a row, spend their lives in taxis and hotels trying to shore-up the scheduled bases, fly knackered old dogs, up sticks and change base when they are comfortably established where they are, give up doing long-haul to some of our more attractive destinations (especially during the winter), subjecting themselves to Britannia's "Command Evaluation Exercise" and potentially poisoning their command selection while DECs on the 737 get no such check or hold out for their turn to come for command on the aircraft they have been flying for 4+ years. Everyone has their reasons for not going for a 737 command and the only time anyone has mentioned the "small aircraft syndrome" it has been in jest.

The last year and a half have been rather chaotic in Brits, things are settling down now and with the introduction of some newer airframes, better selection of basing and the increasing stability of the 737 roster (tales of flexi working opportunties are legend for last summer) perhaps this year will be the one when people do decide to make their bid.

Things have changed 757operator... More and more guys from the 76/5 going through command courses as we speak. In fact I would say pretty much every one has put a bid in.
The reasons for this change of heart are probably amongst the following.
- Same T&Cs for Britannia (formerly known as) and Tfly (original 737 Ops).
- No loss of Pension (happened to the first batch of 75 guys who came across)
- No need to relocate, say from LGW to DSA anymore. 73s are found or will be found pretty much at all existing bases.
- Rostering practices more or less in line on both fleet.
- One 767 returned to the leasing company, therfore reducing opportunities on the 75/76 fleet.
- More NGs arriving, more 735 leaving soon so no need to fly in a time machine anymore (yeah I know all the types we operate are more less from the same era but frankly, a 73 Classic, all its knobs, old fashion switches, APU limitations :{ ...)
- Company reviewing its selection process for internal candidates.

As LJ.543 put it, only management feels we need DECs, no one else. Saying that there is no personal vandetta here and if you join as a DEC, it is highly unlikely that you will feel unwelcome.

Really we are nice you know ;)

Thanks Amex, I stand corrected. But I'm glad you've had to spell it out for the benefit of all of us because I don't think I was the only one thinking that.

What's wrong with the 737 Classic?! It may not be new and shiny, but at least it doesn't produce garbage messages and usually works first time.

Why on earth do you think that?

Most of the problems we had last year were entirely due to unserviceability problems with the B737s !

As a Boeing man once said to me when I complained about the 737, " You can't polish a tu*d !!"

LJ

Quite a few 737 FO's also waiting their turn... but the company is still interviewing direct entry captains.

Not good for morale and shouldn't be happening!

lasses and Gents,

What is it like working as an F/O for Tfly on the 737 fleet?
Do find yourselves BMWing (Bitching, Moaning, Whining) during cruise?

What is the pay like?

I am about to run the gauntlet of Psychometric test and sim rides. Any feedback on this would be gratefully accepted.

Cheers,


T'n'O

Not so much on an AMS but plenty of time for that on a PFO ;)
As you probably realise BMWing is a must in this industry since if you don't any management will suspect there must be a waste of money/efficiency somewhere therefore requiring rectification... So I moan by principle not by need :D :D

As for pay, I suggest you go on the PPJN website. Pretty acurate. Pay talks currently being held though so some changes (some good, some not so good) should take place later this year.

With reference to the interview process and feedback, the wannabes has it all. No surprise there (except when you find out that you have passed;))

Best of luck