Loganair Edinburgh: island flying on small aircraft, the weather, the ATR and the Twin Otter, and why some crew never leave it

Three years at Loganair, Edinburgh, and I want to describe a version of this job that almost nobody on this forum knows exists: regional flying on small aircraft to small islands in weather that would ground the big jets.

The airline

Loganair is the Scottish regional carrier. Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness and the islands: Orkney, Shetland, the Hebrides, plus routes into England, Ireland and Norway. The fleet is ATR 42s and 72s, Embraer 145s, and the famous Twin Otters that fly the beach landing at Barra and the inter island Orkney hops. Cabin crew work the ATRs and the Embraers. The Twin Otters are single pilot or two pilot with no cabin crew, which is a shame because I want to do the beach.

What the job is

One cabin crew on an ATR 42 (48 seats), one or two on the 72, one on the Embraer. So you are the cabin crew. No purser above you, no colleague beside you on a lot of flights. The briefing is you and the pilots. The service is a tea and a biscuit and a lot of conversation, because the passengers are islanders going to the mainland for the hospital, the dentist, the football, and you know a lot of them by name after a year. The safety role is exactly the same as on a 777 and the responsibility is more yours, not less.

The weather

This is the job. Sumburgh in a Shetland winter gale. Kirkwall in fog. Stornoway with a crosswind that makes the ATR crab in like a sideways bird. Go arounds are normal. Diversions are normal. Turning back to Edinburgh with the tea half served is normal. You learn to secure the cabin fast and to talk to passengers who are frightened because you are the only crew member there to do it. After three years I am calmer in bad weather than I am in a traffic jam.

The days

Early. 5:30 sign ons for the first Shetland or Orkney rotation. Four to six sectors, short ones, 45 minutes to an hour and a half. Home most nights, night stops in the islands sometimes, and those are the best part: Kirkwall or Lerwick in the evening in summer with the light that never quite goes.

Pay

Regional pay. Lower than the low cost carriers on sector count, because the sectors are fewer and the aircraft are smaller. Basic is proportionally higher. Nobody does this for the money. Edinburgh rent is real and a lot of crew live outside the city.

Why some crew never leave

Because it is flying as it used to be. You know the pilots. You know the passengers. You see the weather do things. You land on islands. There are crew at Loganair with 25 years who have turned down every big airline and would do it again. And there are crew who do two years, learn more about handling a cabin alone than they would in ten at a big carrier, and move on to the majors with a story nobody else has.

For applicants

Loganair hires regularly at the Scottish bases, the assessment is small and friendly, they like people who can talk to anyone and who will not panic in a go around. If you want the big jet and the long layover, this is not that. If you want to be the crew member, singular, and see Scotland from 8,000 feet in every weather, it is the best job I know.