Forget about hours for a second, has anyone thought about the dynamics of the seniority list which you might be about to join? BA has recruited around 1500 pilots in the last decade or so which accounts for a third of the pilot workforce. It’s a big bubble which puts new joiners at the back of quite a long queue for everything (especially LH commands). Virgin’s expansion is possibly yet to come.
Combined with 34 pay points now you really have to invest a great deal of time in BA to reap the rewards of seniority (which will no doubt be diluted by JSS but that’s another thing...)
Sure, you get to travel in First class at BA, you get credit for positioning sectors, the top scale Capt salary is more, the variety of destinations is incredible, but if you are looking for a career move in your 30s then Virgin would probably be the place to go now just for speed of progression. If you’re in your early 20s then BA can offer you a very good career.
Any airline that wants to make money won’t have its pilots sitting around at home all day. 750 hours is a very good headline but if you factor in positioning sectors, time spent on a coach back from Glasgow, I wonder whether that changes the picture at all?
As for job security....let’s face it neither airline is going anywhere is it?
Just my thoughts. Flame away.