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Would-be Ryanair cabin crew can pay nearly £2,000 for
training, but still remain on probation. Photograph: Tom King /Alamy
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Trainees are charged hefty fees to work for Ryanair
Cabin crew speak out over
course costs as airline chief Michael O'Leary vows to rein in its 'macho' image
Jamie Doward
The Observer, Saturday 26 October 2013 / http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/oct/26/ryanair-cabin-crew-training-fees
They are promised an exciting career and the chance to see
"the world's top sights", but some who pay the best part of £2,000
for training courses to join a company that supplies Ryanair with cabin crew
end up disappointed.
Those who are rejected during their probationary period are
still pursued for training costs, while others with jobs are left angry by the
working conditions dictated by their contract. Now several have raised their
concerns with third parties who have discussed their situation with the
Observer.
The trainees are too frightened to speak directly to
newspapers for fear that they may be pursued by lawyers for breaching their
contracts, which they believe forbid them from talking to the media. But their
decision to break their silence will focus further attention on Ryanair after
its chief executive, Michael O'Leary, promised to reform its "abrupt
culture" and rein in its "macho" image.
Many Ryanair cabin crew are supplied by an Irish firm,
Crewlink, which takes them on only after they have successfully completed a
six-week training course.
Crewlink runs its own course, but it also accepts recruits
from a training school run by St James Management Services, based in
Cirencester, Gloucestershire. Those on the St James course pay £1,650 upfront,
or £1,800 in instalments. Once the recruit starts working for Ryanair,
Crewlink, their employer, deducts £150 a month from their salary to cover the
cost of the course if they chose to pay in instalments. But it has been claimed
that many who go on the course are rejected during a probationary period,
leaving them with a hefty training bill. A Crewlink spokesman said: "The
overwhelming majority, over 95%, remain in our employment after six
months."
Emails seen by the Observer reveal that St James routinely
tells trainees it will instruct a debt-collecting agency to pursue those with
outstanding fees. According to the agreement, "successful participants
must achieve an 85% or 90% pass rate in all their examinations throughout the
course".
Crewlink's contract, seen by the Observer, is clear there is
no guarantee of a Ryanair job. Those taken on by Crewlink are paid £13.39 an
hour in-flight pay, according to the contract that explains that staff can
transferred from one Ryanair base to another "without compensation".
In one contract seen by the Observer, the probationary period lasts for 12
months.
The contract also explains that cabin crew are required to
work a number of standby days each month whereby they must be available within
one hour of being called. Crewlink's contract makes clear that there are no
company provisions for sick pay and cabin crew must pay £30 a month for their
uniform for the first 12 months. "The company can terminate your
employment at any time by giving you the statutory period of notice," the
contract dictates. It explains that "there is no notice period for those
who have worked up to four weeks".
O'Leary won plaudits last week when he took to Twitter to
answer questions from Ryanair passengers, many of whom subjected him to
personal abuse. But in a sign that the company is keen to change its image, he
promised to listen more to customers. However, he has said little so far about
whether he sees any need to change the culture for those who wear the Ryanair
uniform.
A Crewlink spokesman declined to comment on "inaccurate
claims" about its contract. He added: "If people don't like our terms
and conditions, they are free to leave at any time."
Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said it was
concerned that many companies were asking their trainees to pay too much
towards the cost of their training.
"Our advisers are increasingly seeing cases, in
different sectors, where people are being charged for training, uniforms and
travel with the promise of a job that never materialises," Guy said.
A Ryanair spokesman said: "Once cabin crew start
working for Ryanair, we pay for all their recurrent training, which is exactly
what other airlines do."
Requests for a comment from St James went unanswered.
9/10/2013
Avião da Ryanair desviado para Faro devido a
indisposição do comandante
Voo tinha Tenerife
como destino
A Ryanair disse que um avião da companhia aérea irlandesa de
baixo custo com destino a Tenerife foi desviado hoje para Faro devido a uma
indisposição do comandante.
LUSA
Ryanair sacks pilot who appeared in Channel 4 documentary on
safety
Airline issues legal proceedings against John Goss and has
already taken action over claims made in Dispatches programme
John Reynolds
theguardian.com, Thursday 15 August 2013 / http://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/aug/15/ryanair-sacks-pilot-channel-4-dispatches
Ryanair has sacked long-standing airline pilot John Goss
with "immediate effect" and issued legal proceedings against him
after he appeared in the Channel 4 documentary which raised questions over the
airline's safety policy.
The no-frills airline has already instructed lawyers to take
legal action against Channel 4's Dispatches over the allegations made in the
documentary, called Ryanair: Secrets from the Cockpit.
The no-frills airline said in a statement: "We will not
allow a Ryanair employee to defame our safety on national television just three
weeks after he confirmed in writing to Ryanair that he had no concerns with
safety and no reason to make any confidential safety report to either the IAA
(Irish Aviation Authority) or Ryanair."
It is not known if Goss, a captain who has been with the
airline for around 25 years, has himself taken legal advice. Goss was expected
to retire in October of this year.
Goss is a member of the interim council of the Ryanair Pilot
Group (RPG), the group which played a pivotal role in the Channel 4
documentary.
Ryanair has refused to engage with RPG and says that its
safety record is unblemished.
"Ryanair rejected the false and defamatory claims made
by the Channel 4 Dispatches programme which wrongly impugn and smear Ryanair's
outstanding 29-year safety record based on nothing more than anonymous hearsay
claims made by individuals whose identity was concealed, and/or by
representatives of pilot unions of Ryanair's competitor airlines masquerading
as a non-Ryanair Pilot Group," said the company.
A memo has also been circulated to all Ryanair pilots by its
director of flight and ground operations, David O'Brien, according to a report
in the Irish Independent.
"I write to advise you that Capt John Goss was today
dismissed with immediate effect from Ryanair," the memo said. It added
that safety remains Ryanair's "No 1 priority".
The memo added that management wrote to Mr Goss three weeks
ago. Ryanair said it was "shocked and astonished" that he then
contributed to the Channel 4 documentary.
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Ryanair has sacked pilot John Goss after he appeared in
Channel 4's Dispatches programme about safety. Photograph: Universal News And
Sport (Scotland)
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| Ryanair was operating with a level of fuel that was 'close to the minimum' required in the case of a diversion |
Ryanair ordered to 'review' fuel policy after making THREE
emergency landings because planes almost ran out
By RAY MASSEY
PUBLISHED: 19:55 GMT, 20 September 2012 / http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2206322/Ryanair-ordered-review-fuel-policy-making-THREE-emergency-landings-planes-ran-out.html
Budget airline Ryanair has been ordered to 'review' the
amount of fuel it carries after three of its planes – including one from the UK
- were forced to make 'Mayday' emergency
landings in Spain when they started to
run out .
The airline was operating with a level of fuel that was
'close to the minimum' required in the case of a diversion, they said.
Three Ryanair Boeing 737-800 aircraft heading to Madrid were
forced to make emergency landings after being diverted to Valencia because of
thunderstorms over the Spanish capital.
One of the three affected
planes was heading from Stansted Airport to Madrid when the diversions
and emergency landings occurred at Valencia on July 26 this year.
The Irish Aviation Authority Report noted: 'All three
aircraft declared an Emergency (Mayday) when the calculated useable fuel on
landing at Valencia was less than the final reserve.'
The watchdogs accept that
all three Ryanair planes left for Madrid 'with fuel in excess of Flight
plan requirements' and also with fuel
'in excess of the minimum diversion fuel' required, so remained strictly within the rules.
However, the IAA also noted: 'Diverting with fuel close to the minimum diversion fuel in the
circumstances presented on the evening in question was likely to present
challenges for the crew.'
It has also questioned whether the current fuel limit rules
give passenger jets enough latitude land
safely in the event of a diversion from Madrid – and asked Spanish aviation
chiefs to look at them again.
Spanish pilot union leaders have accused Ryanair of
'operating on the very limits of legality' in the way it fuels its planes. But
Ryanair has consistently denied any wrong-doing and says the report vindicates
their stance that its planes fly within the rules.
In its recommendations for the future the IAA said: 'Ryanair to review fuel policy and
consider issuing guidance to Crew with respect to fuel when operating into busy
airports with mixed aircraft operators and types, particularly in poor weather
conditions when diversions are likely.'
The watchdogs said the airline should use such scenarios in
its pilot training 'with particular emphasis on diversion management.'
It also calls on the authorities to 'review delays into
Madrid to consider if additional fuel should be recommended or required to be
carried in normal operations.'
The report said the
three Ryanair passenger jets were put into an initial holding pattern to the
Southwest of Madrid 'which increased the diversion time' before they were
diverted to Valencia.
The crews did declare an Emergency in line with oprtational
procedures when they became aware that the calculated amount of useable fuel
for landing at Valencia 'was less than the final reserve.'
All three aircraft landed at Valencia without further
incident, said the IAA watchdogs.
Commenting on the diverted plane from Stansted – flight
FR5998 – the report says that as they descended in 'severe weather' to land at
Madrid 'the captain decided to discontinue the approach as he noted that two aircraft ahead had performed a
go-around' – effectively a landing which is aborted close to the runway.
The Stansted plane was then diverted to Valencia where the
air traffic controllers 'seemed overwhelmed with the traffic load.'
Told that they were facing a 10 minute delay at
Valencia, 'the crew declared an
Emergency (Mayday).'
They followed in two
other jets which had also declared an emergency – an Easyjet and a Lan-Chile
A340.
In Madrid Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary said:'We welcome this
official report into the Valencia procedures on the 26th July last which
confirms that all three Ryanair aircraft carried extra fuel and that all three
complied fully with EU Ops procedures.'
'We also welcome this week's joint statement of the Irish
and Spanish Transport Ministries which confirms that Ryanair's safety standards
are on a par with the safest airlines in Europe.'
The IAA
recommendation came after Irish and Spanish aviation officials met in
Dublin this week following comments by Spanish authorities about incidents in
their airspace involving Europe's largest budget airline.
Ryanair was operating with a level of fuel that was 'close
to the minimum' required in the case of a diversion
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