Best Ryanair Base
 

Hi guys. I was just wondering if any current Ryanair pilots can help me out.

I would like to know which European bases have less competition to get placed in as a FO (eg spain/italy) and how the bases are to work in..eg living quality, things to do and ability to make friends. If you choose to be based abroad do you still get paid the same amount on the brookfields contract as the UK?

And please can we stick to this question, not another slagging match of ryanair T&C.

Thanks in advance.

You have no future in ryanair.save yourself the pain and join a real airline!!!

any one else help me?
 

Anyone else help me?

Hi Finals,
If you are joining Ryanair and don't know where you want to pick as your choice of base. You may be able to take a floating base contract for say your first six months. You will work five on five off and will move around all of the bases.
After a while, you could request a base. That would be five on four off. there is of course, no guarentee that you will get the base of your choice.
I am not a contractor so i am not sure, but i think the money is the same per hour on the Brookfield contract, regardless of base.
Good luck.

base allocation
 

Can anyone tell me how likely you are to get your choice of base at the moment if, say, you wanted LTN or STN, and approx how long it would take between starting type rating course and flying from your base. (i.e. how long would you be 'away from home' from starting).

Thanks.

I've just been through the cadet process. I got the base I asked for, but I visited the people that organise bases in person and maybe got lucky with my timing.

No two people's experiences seem the same, I know plenty of people that got the base they wanted straight from line training, some others didn't and got offered Dublin, Shannon, Prestwick or Bergamo.

All the guys I trained with (except one) are on a Brookfield contract as far as I know.

Expect 2-3 month in CAE/SAS on the TR, a week to a month at home waiting for your base check, then about 6 to 10 weeks line training, almost certainly away from home. Again, some guys got moved all over during this, I got the same base every week except one.

Only after line training (at least as a cadet) can you expect to be allocated a base. Why they put down your choices during your interview is a total mystery.

Expect to hang around on your training contract anything from a few days to a month following your line check until starting on a FR/Brookfield contract at your assigned base. You are still expected to fly at this point but only get paid the training contract rate (i.e. nowhere near enough to live off).

It took me about 7 months from starting training to my first real pay cheque (I'm ignoring the training pay I got during line-training which didn't even cover my accomodation/travel).

Good luck

:)

thanks
 

thanks rambler. would you know which bases in europe are easier to get and also what the name of this person is and where thery are based...I really want girona or bergamo.

thanks

The truth of the matter is that like many things in Ryanair, the answer is "there is no answer". Date of joining etc etc which have some bearing in "traditional" airlines counts for nada in RYR. One guy can finish, request a base , and wait 2years to get there. Another guy can finish his line training somewhere, like it, and end up being allowed to stay, why, nobody knows. With the previous guy who did base allocation the system seemed to be (allegedly) roughly aligned with how many bottles of wine you dropped in, the current one is feared to make these choices (allegedly) depending on what side of bed he got out of that morning.
Anyway welcome to the "Alice in Wonderland" world of Ryanair, where very little is quite what it first appears to be.