Hi guys/ girls

just wanted to pick the brains of any Jet2 pilots and especially those at Belfast base.

Im currently with BA as a SFO on the 787. ( Previous types 737, 767) . I commute to LHR, live in Belfast and I’m getting fed up with long haul commuting life. I could get a SH command at BA but that would only make the commute harder.

Jet2 seems to be one option at Belfast. Any info anyone can give?

Bits I’m interested in are

rosters- ( amount of days off per month, chance of weekends off and roster stability etc )

Chance of getting a Belfast base- initially in the rhs but also time to command and would you be expected to move base to get it. I’ve got 7000+ hours if that’s relevant. There’s no point in me leaving BA to avoid a commute but end up commuting somewhere else so I would need to be confident of getting Belfast. (I wouldn’t mind a short term stint somewhere else )

General happiness in company etc

type rating costs- last flew the 737 over 5 years ago so not sure where I stand there but in general do you pay for a rating yourself or is it a loan / bond?

Thanks in advance! Scott

ps I’m not a regular forum user so sorry if I’ve done something daft !

Minimum of 9 days of a month. 122 a year not including leave. 3 RDOs a month and you normally get what you ask for. Weekends off less likely in the summer but I’ve had 2 3 day weekends off in the last month but that was more luck than anything else.

Probably a fairly high chance of a Belfast base initially as it never seems to be a hugely popular choice unless you live there. You may well end up somewhere else to start with but you can put your name on the base transfer list (I think as soon as you start) and you will be at your preferred base within a year maximum. The company makes a point of basing people where they want to be.

Pretty good moral usually although this summer roster disruption is pretty bad for various reasons so there’re more moans than normal.

I think these days everyone is bonded but hopefully more recent joiners will be able to confirm that either way.

With your hours you could have a command within a year. All you need would be 6 months, 300 hours in the company and two decent sims.

Chance of getting BFS base straight away is slimish, however Jet2 get their crews to where they want to be ASAP. Same with Command, the likelihood would be that you would move away, but again you would get back to BFS quickly.

The type-rating is bonded. If your 737 rating is more than 5 years out of date you will need to redo your B737 rating.

Rosters, usually 10-12 days off per month. Stability was a struggle earlier this year but it is settling back down now as more of the recruits come on line.

General happiness - well you could ask 100 different people and get 100 different answers. It’s not perfect, but where is? The good thing is that it is doing very well, expanding steadily and making money.

we have had quite a few join/apply to join this last few months, all citing the same reason as you, lifestyle- live where you work.

Thanks guys, that’s pretty much what I had heard elsewhere. Gives me something to weigh up !

Thanks

I am considering that option bluepilot but by the time I applied, waited for the course then got the hours I would probably be quicker going RHS in Jet2 and going from there. Ba is a big machine and it moves slowly. Plus a SH command would be on an airbus and I don’t know how they work ��

Good to hear that people are generally happy tho. That’s my main motivation. On paper you could argue I would be giving a lot stuff up leaving BA but I think other airlines have a lot to offer too

Cheers

I can’t comment on the Belfast base aspect. Type rating is an old fashioned bond for 3 years. Expect to fly 700 hours a year, maxed out in summer and quiet in winter, but you will still be on min days off over winter as they’ll stick you on standby everyday.

I would say the rostering practices will be a shock to the system coming from BA. They basically don’t have any. We were always told that the Belfast base was hard to get onto as few people leave it and it isn’t expanding. I think you’re in a difficult position, but feel if you join here as an FO with a view of getting command quickly but then can’t get a command quickly onto the BFS base then you’ll be in a worse position than you are now and wonder why you left.

Thanks guys. In regards to the command thing I’m not in that big a rush, ive done p2 for 11 years so a few more wouldn’t bother me if it meant I was in a base near home. Even though I’m technically senior enough for command in BA it could still be a couple of years before it actually happened just because it’s a huge company and that’s how the system works

The roster issues people mention above are more of a concern as I would be taking a backward step there. Roster stability and weekends etc are def better in BA. But then it took me 8 hours to get home yesterday after a long haul because of disruption. But that’s only an issue as I’ve chosen to commute, it’s not BAs fault.

Its swings and roundabouts! All the info helps though, so thanks !

For me, zero. For others, more than zero.

There isn't a one size fits all answer.

It would take years to get Belfast base on the lhs in easyJet.

No. I knew it was changing (again!). But if 3 years is the case for experienced people then frankly that’s a bit ridiculous.

Do not leave BA before you get a command. All you’ll be doing is joining the bottom of somebody else’s list and anything can happen while you’re waiting. Jet2 love DEC’s so you run the risk of becoming seriously miffed if they keep flooding in while you’re waiting. I know a few guys who are or have been Jet2 in BFS. It’s pretty lucrative and they get left alone but last I hear there was a queue now although near a big as the one at Easyjet. DEC transfers have taken 1-2 years and FO’s transfer out for command unless you’re really lucky..but I’m not J2 so let them confirm the detail. Seriously though..do not leave BA without a short haul command. You could end up in the wrong place in the wrong seat in the event of a downturn and then your current job will look like utopia.

Out of interest can I ask what you mean by that? Do you mean you’d have got a ‘OK bid’ out of the very recent annual bid but because of the way the training bid works you’ll be well into next year before you actually started a course?

Good luck, whatever you end up deciding to do

For the benefit of the general audience and at the risk of mischief making I’d say, having just seen the fallout from the first dummy run of the system soon to be introduced at BA:

”There will soon be a very basic roster bidding system but it’s limitations will come as a shock to anyone coming to BA”

Hi Wiggy, no I haven’t got a bid in. I just said it that way as it was easier than explaining the whole BA annual bid system when my question was long winded enough. Reason I didn’t bid this year is that if I stay at BA then LH is easier to commute to ( even though I don’t love LH) . If I was pretty confident of leaving I might bid for SH command if it helped me move. Given I haven’t made up my mind I didn’t bid. When I said I was senior enough it was based on previous years lgw lhr commands, which as you know is never a guarantee of next year.

Based on the responses here it’s unclear if it would be worth doing a SH command at Ba or not. I know a guy who left p2 long haul a few months ago to jet2 and he’s starting a command at the end of summer. Although that was to a different base. Some guys here reckon it could be a lot longer. I’m open to the fact I will never know 100% so there’s always risk

in regards to bidding at BA you’re right. Things are changing and I’m not just comparing BA now to other airlines but considering what BA is turning into.

thanks to everyone who has chipped in , it’s helpful to hear your opinions . Good and bad!

No advice here, just feel the need to chime in:
I’m seriously surprised there’s people contemplating leaving BA for J2 (never mind actually doing it!). I’m Dutch, and flew if Europe from 99-05, ended up flying LoCo in the USA. Nobody leaves DAL/UAL/AAL to come to Spirit. Back then everyone in Europe wanted to get on with the flag carrier of their country. Can’t believe things have changed so much that people would leave a multi year career at BA and start over. I know commuting is a hit on QOL, I do it myself. Have working conditions deteriorated that much at BA?

Get command, do the time, make it work, the world is your oyster.

Also bear in mind that the goal posts in Jet2 are fitted with the best castors in the industry! IMHO.

Leaving the former national carrier is not as unusual as it once was. Unsurprisingly given the enthusiastic embracing of modern rostering practice and targeting the fabled 900 hours per year. I would say joining Jet2 would not be the worse move as long as pro’s and con’s were added up. They always tend to get you to the base of choice and historically that has not been long.

Yup, I’d definitely support the idea of getting a command elsewhere before coming in as a DEC. The command process is definitely a beast to get through with more obstacles than a tough mudder. Once you’ve finally made it through the command board, it’s fairly plain sailing from then on. It’s the getting there that’s tough. Also, rumours abound that the next command courses aren’t until Dec/Jan and DECs will be coming in before then. If that’s not a morale blow to a prospective command upgradee, I don’t know what is! Also, the FOs I know are getting flogged this summer with a rolling total over 28 days in the 85-95 hour range. Over the years I’ve been at Jet2, the yearly average is steadily increasing.

If that is the case, please explain why the first command course this winter isn’t until December whereas last year they were running from September. Strong rumours floating around that there are DEC courses running prior to Dec.

The early DEC courses are probably non-type rated, as they will (probably) take longer to get all the way through to completion of line training than type rated f/o’s who are just changing seat. The plan will presumably be worked out to avoid having too many people finishing line training and sitting around not flying whilst most of the winter flying program is used to line train others.... sensible order (probably) would be non type rated DEC and F/O, then type rated upgrades and type rated DEC and F/O. Just a guess.

Hi Jet2 Captains...what’s your average take home pay in winter compared to summer? How many days would you fly on average in winter?
what are the chances of East Midlands base or BHX? Thanks in advance

No clue about Jet2 but been around long enough to say this - Don’t leave a “guaranteed” command with BA for right seat with command assessment to go through in new company. Never do that.

CP

Take home pay in summer is averaging £6000 with 10-12 days of flying @80-ish hours (and an additional 10 standby/reserve).
Winter is about £5400 with 4 or 5 days of flying @ 30-ish hours (and about 15 standby/reserve).

Be wary though that the above figures don’t have a huge pension contribution taken out of them. Probably the minimum or thereabouts.

Wow, thought the take home would be much more than that!