I don't live in the UK so please bear with me as i didn't follow developments till now. I understand that BALPA and the pilot community in general is planning to take action to improve the working conditions of flexicrew. Do you see enough momentum being build up, so that the next wave and even current flexicrew see improved terms and contracts? Forgive me if i'm being naive, i'm guessing this is a major issue right now in the UK

Significant improvements to flexicrew involve the Co spending money - little enough money given the multi £00M profits made but money that would otherwise go straight into the troughs of the greedy pigs that run the outfit.

Ergo ain't gonna happen.

Don't get your hopes up.

There is at last some sentiment being expressed by some at the top of BALPA that "something must be done" but UK Industrial Law is very restrictive with regard to direct action. You've got to hope for improvement through negotiation/appealing to the company's better nature (unlikely for all the reasons stated by Agaricus), or a lack of applicants forcing the company to improve the package.

What do you reckon?

Directly from a flexicrew pilot:

What advantages (if any) will a relatively epxerienced FO have against a low-hour cadet?

Nothing,after 1500hrs pay rate is £67 and standby £243(these figures are not gross in reality as they include a management fee and employees national insurance which get deducted before you get your gross pay)

net pay

Varies significantly and its not guaranteed. Hours have reduced so much in the last year(650-750 per year) and standbys have been replaced with days off and you cannot swap days off for duties.You only get paid if you fly,if you are delayed down route and as a result you loose the next days flying due to rest limitations then you lost your pay,if you are sick you don't get paid. Hourly rates are gross and include a management fee (3%) and also the employers national insurance (13.8% something that easyjet should be paying).So if your pay is £4000(my best month in the last 12 months) you then get deducted 3% for management fee, then 13.8% for employers national insurance, which only leaves you with about £3400 which is now your gross income which is subject to tax(20-40%) and employees national insurance(12%) so net pay will be about £2700. i would take that net figure as a number to work out if you are happy to live with.Rember though you have to pay for medical,uniform,allow for holiday pay,sick pay,lol etc

selection process

can include hr,sim ride,technical,group exercises

basing

UK where ever they say,you cannot go on any transfer list whilst flexi,only if there is a direct swap of a flexi for a flexi and that is subject to approval

rostering

You will be random roster.This means no protections,some months will have MANY days off which make net pay very low,sometimes you will get REST day which do not qualify for pay but if easyjet need you they can suddenly change it.No real guaranteed leave system and if you get any leave its unpaid,basically parc will email with available dates of leave after all permanent pilots take what they want,you then have to reply to parc with your preference from the given dates,parc will advice easyjet,if approved you will be notified by parc.there are no wrap around days so you can be rostered to fly until the last day before your leave and work on the first day when you get back

Is it true that I may be stand down for low season?

You could be stood down anytime in reality.Or they can only give you 2 flights in a quiet month(it has happened to a lot).They can fisically stand you down within a month ie they can give you the 3 months notice but at the same time roster your next 3 months with no flights.That is why there is no job security.

What allowances are offered and what do i have to cover my self?

Nightstop is £20 gross and that is only when you fly away of base,not when in hotel for training.Positioning is paid at standby rate only when you position only in a day,if you position and they fly in the same day there is no positioning pay and you always have to claim positioning payment through Parc(good luck with the emails,there is no direct communication between easyjet.you tell parc you qualify for positioning and parc tell easyjet).You pay for uniform

Pension, loss of licence, medical?

Nothing

Any other info you deem appropriate one should know before applying

Expect at least 2 years before you can apply for a permanent(permanent is not guaranteed,you can only apply for one after 2 years)
expect no job security
expect a lot of frustration(no guaranteed leave,no sick pay,no day off payment,lots of emails to parc to get what you want)
command is anyone's guess, you have to be permanent for 6 months before you can start so at at the best case 2.5 years(if you are given permanent straight away after 2 years as flexi) before you can start command process
flexicrew in easyjet is like being in ryaniar.i do believe ryanair have a base in your country so just get in touch with the FOs flying for ryanair and get a taste of what it is to get paid by the hour and have no job security
expect a very mature airline operation,nice aircraft and very good captains.

How about a permanent position?

First Officers with easyJet | 1401360554

Did you actually click on the link to apply? It brings you to the usual CTC or PARC flexicrew website. Not much use I'm afraid.

Actually, if you go on the careers section and search Pilots, you might find it.

https://easyjet.taleo.net/careersect...4&radiusType=K

What do you mean Skindogg? It's right on the website.

Pilot Careers - Careers in the Air - easyJet Careers


Edit: Wonder what they mean by this:
"We’ll be offering fixed term contracts, direct employment opportunities and have a new UK contract proposition that leads to permanent employment opportunities."

Are they finally reducing the numbers of CTC cadets for some reason or another?

Interesting though that the chaps from TP backgrounds (non rated civilian)who had to pay 13-15k for their TP ratings ( Eastern, Suckling etc) and paid their dues the old school way have to fork out for another rating with the Orange brigade. :yuk:

And people wonder why GA pilots opt to rather buy jet ratings with hours on type rather than do things the old fashioned "proper way".

I spoke recently with a current Easyjet f/o who was forced to join as flexi crew.
Money was ok to start with, plenty of hours, But no extras such as pensions, loss of license or sick pay. Now though the number of hours he gets are reducing so therefore does his pay.
He was very worried about the new permanent contracts to be offered as although they would be permanent, the salaries would again be much lower(turbo prop levels). To low to survive on, he said( mortgage, loan etc).
Of course these people would then be used as preference over flexi crews.

He seemed to think that the new contracts would result in a larger exodus than before. All his friends were already looking elsewhere for better contracts (Monarch, Jet2, Middle East).

Have the flexicrew contracts changed recently with the introduction of the NEC? I believe it is now a fixed salary and not an hourly pay rate? Has the waiting period to a perm contract also been reduced? cheers