Originally Posted by
7779
Few things I’m curious about at BA, I can see how the overall package at BA might be good, but...
When you are downroute on a layover do BA pick up the bill for your food etc?
Is is it possible to commute if you live in another part of the U.K.? Pretty important for me as I wouldn’t want to live in London if I were working in BA.
If you are a commuter, will your staff travel cover commuting?
Bit of a trivial one, but is it possible to get business class tickets on BA Staff Travel?
They won't pick the bill but the hotels are often 5*. Some long-haul destinations in the Caribbean out of Gatwick, the hotels are all inclusive so you don't pay anyway. However, you have crew meals whilst onboard, something that does make a difference in comparison to RYR, just do the maths based on how much you eat.
Plenty of BA pilots commute, not only from the UK but Europe too. There is plenty of info on this subject on the other thread(Terms & endearment), take into consideration that commuting is not for everyone.
Yes you can use staff travel for commuting, but still your responsibility to get to work on time and rested, no matter what airline it is. Staff Travel won't give you priority just because you're going to work, you need to plan accordingly. There are ways to check in the system how busy the flight is, you can message the operating captain etc.
You can get Business or even First class with BA staff travel. You can either purchase a basic staff travel ticket which is something in the region of 10% of the fare plus taxes, or a premium ticket which is 30% plus taxes. The premium gives you Club load priority.
I have lots of friends at BA and often use the BA staff travel myself, it works just fine and it's a great perk to have. You can add friends or family or both (up to 3 I think).
At RYR you can jumpseat when going to work but that is also based on a standby basis, if there are no seats and the captain won't release the flight deck jump-seat, you won't go anywhere. Most of the times is ok, but very busy during the summer. You must be in uniform at all times and wait until boarding has finished, and at some bases the process can be quite complicated because you need to go through normal passenger security.
I hope this answer your questions! Again, some people will prefer on to the other.