Hi Jock Trapped,
The truth is that no one really knows what sort of rosters JSS will create. However, working every weekend being junior is almost a given and of course that means that your days off will generally be in the middle of the week. I think it really depends on the season and how short of pilots we are. In the summer, you may struggle to get 3 off in a row (with some regularity anyway) but with the CAPs much lower in the winter it’s certainly a possibility. Remember as well, you can bank withdraw and swap trips if you need to tweak your roster.
I can’t speak for LGW as I’m junior SH LHR but I imagine it’s similar. Summers = work your ass off, Winter = loads of time off. LGW has typically been a lot more seasonal than LHR so bear that in mind. The company is about to bring some LGW FOs up to LHR on secondment for a few months (marketed as a ‘lifestyle opportunity’). It suits those FOs as they can keep the flying pay of their pay packet up instead of it falling off a cliff at LGW in the winter. Of course it suits BA too as they can artificially lower CAPs at LHR for the first few months of next year before working us to the max for the rest of the year! It’s about them balancing resources and maximising their ‘assets’. They’re not stupid.
champ