Peter wrote:
He told me he spent 5 years of his life with a rock band. It later turned out he was in jail
Very good!
Course could have been the jail’s rock band, they get up to all sorts of things in there these days I am lead to understand. Even learning to be pilots (flying drones).
I think it could be security related. It’s a similar thing when applying for a security card here for unrestricted access to airports. They aren’t looking for any specific activity, only that you can verify what you have been doing for the last 5 years (school, work, other service, whatever).
Hmmm, yes, you don’t want a CV with a 5 year gap in it… I saw that once in a job candidate. He told me he spent 5 years of his life with a rock band. It later turned out he was in jail 
With the rule that a cabin crew member enters the cockpit when one pilot goes to take a leak, I would think cabin crew vetting must take on a whole new dimension!!
Easy Jet have an advantage for those who don’t like to stay away from home too much. They basically are at their homebase each night, which is a huge difference to most legacy carriers. I think Ryan are the same. This appeals to many who don’t want to have this lifestyle where a good part of your time is spent in hotels. Also, service on such carriers are a lot less stressful than full service on legacy carriers (even if most of them have gone a similar way now).
I also reckon there is a huge difference between long and short haul flights with regards what effect it has on your body clock. LH is definitly not for everyone and while short haul (EZY or RYR style) has no worse hours than other shift work, it is probably easier for some.
Having been close to this industry for over 30 years and having had a short while helping out in the cabin myself, I would have said a job on a legacy carrier can well be a good job for youngsters who wish to see something of the world and get a broader view of things. Both the carriers I’ve had experience with offer quite interesting LH rotations which leave a lot of crew interested for a long time. Short haul tends to loose it’s attractiveness faster.
Peter wrote:
What sort of activity are they looking for?
I think it could be security related. It’s a similar thing when applying for a security card here for unrestricted access to airports. They aren’t looking for any specific activity, only that you can verify what you have been doing for the last 5 years (school, work, other service, whatever).
Peter wrote:
Did he say what does this?
Yes, a combination of long haul, more demanding schedules that years gone by, terrible sleep patterns, and a bad combination of “drugs” that only mask the problems.
I have an unwritten rule of no flights before 08:30 local. I rarely break it, but did so in early December for an 06:30 flight. I arrived at the airport earlier than expected because there was no traffic on the roads. I was, however, astonished at how busy the airport was; it was full to bursting of people taking the cheaper first wave of daily flights. Judging by the number of people, I bet they all departed full.
I’m sure there could be a sexual discrimination case unless they are refusing to hire women who wear earrings as well as men who wear earrings
I am reliably informed that most of the male applicants already wear earrings
He admits he is totally burnt out and may not go back. He may earn £150K but he may also be buggered at a relatively young age
Did he say what does this?
I live a similar distance to Gatwick to probably most EJ crew but I have to be up 3:30am to catch the first (cheap) flight. The whole crew must be doing the same. And it must be hard when you are “young” but have to be up at 3:30am, which kills off the previous night’s socialising options pretty well. The standard solution (a couple of cans of Red Bull) is just going to bugger up your body even faster.
A lot of people pay the price for cheap flights, but all the time “we” are willing to be up at 3:30 for the 6am flight, to save 50-100 quid over the 10am flight, the crew working conditions are going to be like this.
It is a sign of the times the extent to which even the pilots suffer these days. A very good friend of mine has just been granted a six month sabbatical (at least it is paid) which is very much encouraged in his airline at least. He admits he is totally burnt out and may not go back. He may earn £150K but he may also be buggered at a relatively young age. Mind you how times have changed in most professions at least in this neck of the world – Australia seems to be one of the last bastions of common sense, a very different attitude to life and a lot healthier I suspect.
As for the vetting, no questionnaire, but funnily enough my ex’s family had a ~65 seater plane in private version :). Only found out after we met though!
Peter wrote:
It took me a while to work out the “short haul”… Concorde!
Yes!.
Sadly I never got to fly on the Concorde (still a student when they did their last flight), but the “replacement” flights on the A318 are actually not that bad.
