Originally Posted by
Bah76f
Actually, it is very valuable to know this, and the ‘admin’ questions are valid.
Because it highlights the difference between promises made by recruitment, and reality….
Rule number 1 is that recruitment can make essentially zero promises to you that can't be taken back or changed.
That said:
- Annual fleet/seat bid window is currently open for the 2025 training year, and usually closes towards the end of summer, with results out near xmas.
- If you join before it closes, you can bid (but don't hold your breath for achieving anything with that bid because you'll be frozen on the fleet you join on for at least 4-5 years (unless BA actually need you elsewhere, but that usually only happens the year before your freeze was due to expire anyway.)
- The exception to that is A320 command, which appears to have gone VERY junior in the last few bid outputs - if you meet the requirements for command and place a command bid, they may well unfreeze you for that. But again don't hold your breath for that.
- Join anticipating that you will serve your full freeze before moving fleet or seat, to avoid the stress/anger/upset/disappointment/whatever, would be my advice.
- Leave will be allocated to you seemingly at random when you first join, but there's a mechanism in place to swap your leave around after you join with weeks that have spaces available so you may well end up with what you want.
- Training rosters are written by training admin as others have said - again to manage expectations you should arrive on day 1 accepting that the next 6 weeks or so is not up to you as is the case in almost every other airline i can think of. Preferences can be made, but can't always be honoured.
- The monthly roster/line bid varies on the dates it opens and closes depending on the length of the month etc (and is for the following month - ie, the June roster bid gets going in a few days and closes in a couple of weeks, with results out a few days after that) but you'll be in induction and training long enough that you'll be able work out when you need to start bidding.
Hope that helps,
ATB and enjoy