Mike Jenvey
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 31, 2006
- Posts
- 175
If I translate the "positive space tickets" correctly, I guess you mean "confirmed" tickets rather than standby, in which case, yes, we always get confirmed tickets. Also, we don't have a contracted start/finish time for Day 1 or day 6 or our tours - I think you guys have set times that have to be maintained. Yes, NJE will get us home on the last day of tour, but that might mean arriving at your gateway airport at 2300 hrs local in some cases (or later for a few of the further out gateways).
Tax versus salary - the European tax system is in no way coordinated or standardized! For example, in the UK, everyone gets a "tax allowance" of about US $10,000. Above that allowance (i.e. no tax paid on first $10K), the lowest rate is 10% (first $4K, whoopee doo!), then 22% until $70K. When you hit about $70K, bang, 40% is the rate! There are higher tax rates in other countries!! In most countries, you all pay some kind of "National Insurance," which is salary based, & for the UK mainly breaks down for free healthcare & state pension scheme (the age of getting this will be going up, thanks to Mr BLiar!). For me, typically I pay up to $3400 tax per month & $570 National Insurance, call it $4K all in! I can still consider myself lucky - in Belgium, it's 50% tax above earnings of about $39K!!! Add on national "state tax" or equivalent - 17.5% "VAT" on most goods in UK......
Several eastern European countries have gone down a "flat rate tax" for all scheme, much more efficient & easier to administer!
Our contracts have recently changed so that all crew living outside of Portugal on on a UK-based contract, paying UK National Insurance (technically, the benefits should be transferable to your home country) + 25% tax to Portugal; a looong (& confusing!) story, but basically the offices/AOC are based in Portugal, hence this tax situation. There are intra-country tax agreements to prevent being taxed for the same amount in home country, but it has changed the tax situation considerably for many crews.
Pilots - as discussed elsewhere (#29), it is prohibitively expensive to train as a pilot in Europe, & just one UK lo-co (easyJet) is looking for 400+ new pilots in 2007 - as a comparison with NJE, the T&Cs for an easyJet captain are:
Nowhere near the easyJet figures!! You have to add on our per diems of about $91/day (18 days month) = approx $19.5K per yr (not taxed).
Tax versus salary - the European tax system is in no way coordinated or standardized! For example, in the UK, everyone gets a "tax allowance" of about US $10,000. Above that allowance (i.e. no tax paid on first $10K), the lowest rate is 10% (first $4K, whoopee doo!), then 22% until $70K. When you hit about $70K, bang, 40% is the rate! There are higher tax rates in other countries!! In most countries, you all pay some kind of "National Insurance," which is salary based, & for the UK mainly breaks down for free healthcare & state pension scheme (the age of getting this will be going up, thanks to Mr BLiar!). For me, typically I pay up to $3400 tax per month & $570 National Insurance, call it $4K all in! I can still consider myself lucky - in Belgium, it's 50% tax above earnings of about $39K!!! Add on national "state tax" or equivalent - 17.5% "VAT" on most goods in UK......
Several eastern European countries have gone down a "flat rate tax" for all scheme, much more efficient & easier to administer!
Our contracts have recently changed so that all crew living outside of Portugal on on a UK-based contract, paying UK National Insurance (technically, the benefits should be transferable to your home country) + 25% tax to Portugal; a looong (& confusing!) story, but basically the offices/AOC are based in Portugal, hence this tax situation. There are intra-country tax agreements to prevent being taxed for the same amount in home country, but it has changed the tax situation considerably for many crews.
Pilots - as discussed elsewhere (#29), it is prohibitively expensive to train as a pilot in Europe, & just one UK lo-co (easyJet) is looking for 400+ new pilots in 2007 - as a comparison with NJE, the T&Cs for an easyJet captain are:
Roster pattern is 5 earlies, 3 off, 5 lates, 4 off.
Captain's basic is £73,792 (€110,116) (approx $209K) and nominal sector pay is £23.64 ($44) (short sectors x0.8, medium sectors x1.2, and long sectors x1.5). There is a tax free element to this.
Loyalty bonus is 5% 2-4yrs, 10% 5-9yrs and 15% 10 yrs+
Uniform allowance £17.33pm ($33)
Loss of licence insurance provided at 1.3 x basic salary.
Pension 9% of basic (but can opt out of 2% of this and take the cash instead).
Vacation is 25 days (5x5 blocks) but of course you get the wrap around days also (ie 5 days leave, get 12 days off)
(They have been advertising recently for direct entry captains.......)
So, to give the precise Year One figures for NJE (as published in Flt International):Captain's basic is £73,792 (€110,116) (approx $209K) and nominal sector pay is £23.64 ($44) (short sectors x0.8, medium sectors x1.2, and long sectors x1.5). There is a tax free element to this.
Loyalty bonus is 5% 2-4yrs, 10% 5-9yrs and 15% 10 yrs+
Uniform allowance £17.33pm ($33)
Loss of licence insurance provided at 1.3 x basic salary.
Pension 9% of basic (but can opt out of 2% of this and take the cash instead).
Vacation is 25 days (5x5 blocks) but of course you get the wrap around days also (ie 5 days leave, get 12 days off)
(They have been advertising recently for direct entry captains.......)
PIC Euros 95,000 = $124K
SIC Euros 56,500 = $74K
SIC Euros 56,500 = $74K
Nowhere near the easyJet figures!! You have to add on our per diems of about $91/day (18 days month) = approx $19.5K per yr (not taxed).
