Originally Posted by
flightpattern
The last debate on this was some time ago. With new T&Cs/rosters/pensions/pilots I was wondering if people could offer their experience in the two airlines to compare.
I'm in the fortunate position of having offers from both BA & Virgin, and whilst it's one of the best positions you can be in, the gravity of the decision is dawning on me.
BA Pros
* Probably the most stable company to work for
* Variety of fleets, both SH & LH options
* Relatively good pay & conditions
* Lots of leave
BA Cons
* Worked incredibly hard with time at the bottom of seniority very unsociable (particularly with new bid system?). Roster looks pretty awful..
* Impersonal/corporate (could be advantage or disadvantage depending on personality)
Virgin Pros
* Seems like a fun, friendly & relaxed place to work
* Capped at 750 hrs per year
* Delta/Air France KLM owning 49% & 31% respectively so stronger than ever, and supposedly like the brand
* Better work life balance from what I've seen, with rotating seniority a personal plus so I can enjoy the next decade of my life
Virgin Cons
* Not as stable - 28 million loss when every other airline is making money, equity minus £25 million...
* Ambiguity as to Delta/Air France KLM want to do with the airline (Alaska collapsed Virgin America albeit a different business model), after all it is loss making
* Committing to LH for the rest of your life
Any thoughts from people in the two airlines would be really interesting.
I thought it wouldn’t be long until someone wrote on this thread again.
A good question ,
it all comes down to the individual (obviously)
i guess if you could break it down into the things that you really want , for me I love a good lifestyle.
Virgin gives me that especially with the 750hr rule , I’m home often and I enjoy my job . Fly with fantastic guys and great crew , don’t feel like a number (although unfortunately you are)
as as you say BA has security which is a big deal in the world of aviation as I found out the hard way !
Also you can change fleets (although I believe they may be limiting that soon)
The Pay in BA is more but that’s on 900hrs a year , whilst virgin scales are 750 ........
when your close to retirement you will most probably be part time so I believe the figures are pretty similar
just some light thoughts to get you thinking
it’s a kind of each to their own opinion