If you, like most people, have flown with a budget airline, you know what to do. We all grimaced as we paid £3.50 for a scorching cup of tea that required 10 thimbles of milk to make it drinkable. We avoided having to pay extra to carry a backpack the size of a small cat. We crossed our legs as a collection of tutu-wearing deer waiting in line to use the restroom.
So what’s it like to be behind the cockpit door? Who is that calming, invisible presence, the classroom light in this zoo to which we entrust our lives for an hour or two?
After training in the RAF in the late 1980s and flying with Air 2000 (later First Choice) in the 1990s and with Emirates for over a decade, our eponymous pilot joined a well-known low-cost airline. But now he is packing his bags to join a long-haul cargo airline.
From unrealistic schedules to shoddy support systems to coffee payments and what pilots make of drunk passengers, our anonymous captain offers a rare glimpse into the low-cost cockpit.
Transitions are good
For this pilot, it was the practicality of a fixed shift pattern that first drew him into the world of budget flying, not the pride of wearing a particular logo.
“Low-cost airlines usually have a fixed staffing pattern: in my case, five on, four off. It’s attractive because we can plan our lives accordingly at least a year in advance. In other companies with ‘volatile’ staffs, sometimes posted only a month in advance, it’s very difficult to plan events such as weddings.” It can be frustrating.
“I also liked that most days were scheduled to be back at base around midnight and the lineup rotated between early and late starts. “The 5/4 model means you get 13 days of leave when you book five days of annual leave,” he says.
Pilots run the show
Support systems are very different between low-cost and legacy long-haul airlines, he says.
“At low cost, the pilots and crew largely run the show. There is minimal company interference in the normal course of business. When there is a problem such as delays or deviations due to weather conditions or technical problems, the wheels start falling off because they operate their support systems with very few staff.
“They have relatively poor processes for keeping in touch with the crew and we often have to be very proactive to keep the program going,” he adds.
Programs are impossible
“Schedules are often extremely tight, even unrealistic, which means that if an early morning flight encounters a delay, it is almost impossible to make up the time,” says our anonymous pilot.
“We usually hand the aircraft over to the afternoon crew quite late, at the end of the early shift. During peak summer periods, there are very few backup crews that can be called upon if something unexpected happens. Legacy airlines tend to spend much more money on their operations; after all, they have a very different pricing structure. “I have worked at Emirates for 11 years and their ability to react positively and even prevent problems in advance is very impressive.”
Morale? Pilots are good at moaning
“Morale is tough. If you ask a 23-year-old recent graduate, they’ll probably tell you how amazing it is. Give them three years and they’ll bemoan repeated early starts, sometimes minimal rest between assignments, and often finishing too late during peak summer.” .Pilots are generally good at moaning.
“It also varies by base: Large airports with lots of aircraft have a more impersonal environment than smaller airports with only five or six aircraft. We can’t provide meals on board like other airlines, so we have to bring our own and the company charges us for a cup of coffee. Of course, it’s all about keeping fees low, and companies often say the fees cover expenses typically paid by other types of carriers.
Salary is good (but there are add-ons)
“It’s true that the salary is pretty good, but you work hard for it. We buy our own uniforms, pay for our annual health and safety badges and at some airports we also pay for staff parking.
“If they send us to a distant place for simulator training, we have to cover the accommodation costs ourselves. Staff travel is reasonable but not as good as the major carriers.”
Rowdy passengers do not bother the pilot
“Noisy and difficult passengers are not a problem on the flight deck unless they threaten the safety of passengers, crew or the aircraft. Of course, since 9/11, we never leave the cockpit to object to passengers; We should leave it to the cabin crew. “If passengers become threatening, we will begin planning to direct them to an airport where they can be removed and possibly prosecuted.”
What’s next?
“I will be returning to long-haul travel with a Heathrow-based cargo start-up, flying a 747 for the first time. I’m so excited to fly the Queen of the Skies before she disappears forever. “When I finish, I will have flown Boeing 737, 747, 757, 767 and 777.”