Originally Posted by
Chris the Robot
I start with a very big caveat that I don't work for BA but that from scouring PPRuNe and PPJN and speaking to a few people, I've gathered the following info. Some of it might be a bit out of date, after all the airline world is fairly dynamic, it's really intended as a rough guide.
My understanding is that at LGW or LHR you'll be on the A320 series and if posted to LCY you'll be on the Embraer 190. There is a fleet freeze for I think around 5 or 6 years, so you won't be going any further from the UK than North Africa or the Middle East during that time as things stand.
Seniority is where it all gets a bit complicated. On the railway as you'll know we have links and each link has a fixed roster so at most places you know what your days off are months ahead. When your seniority reaches a certain number you move into the link above, the higher links having better work etc.
BA's system seems to be much more fluid, if you're at LHR or LGW, you'll have a place on the Master Seniority List (MSL) Rather than having links, you bid for the trips you want and the most senior pilot on fleet (aircraft type) and seat (captain or first officer) gets first preference followed by the next senior and so on until you reach the bottom. I think the following month's roster is published midway through the month. I believe you have a certain number of "golden days" or something to that effect which are days you can nominate to be guaranteed off. Therefore you generally can't plan ahead as often at BA as you can on the railway unless you're very senior compared to others on the same fleet and in the same seat. On the plus side, it's possibly easier to bid for permanent earlies or lates, depending on seniority. There's also the additional dynamic of overnight trips thrown in. Some people prefer day trips, some prefer spending multiple nights away from home etc.
Aircraft fleets vary in seniority, I believe the current time to command (captaincy) on the Airbus A320 after passing a command assessment is very short, whereas on the Boeing 777 it's much longer, close to twenty years. Most airlines will require at least a few years as a first officer before you get the experience to go through the command upgrade process. It's not a process everyone is guaranteed to pass. You bid for fleet and seat by seniority and I believe that there are a couple of windows a year in which to bid. I think there is a freeze after you move, like changing depots on the railway the additional training costs the airline money and they want a return on investment.
BA LHR has a 34-point salary scale which you've probably seen on PPJN. LGW has a different scale where I think the maximum pay is capped around year 12. LGW currently has a single fleet (A320 series).
At LHR, a long-haul captain's role would be analogous with top-link work on the railway.
You'll have noticed I haven't really mentioned BA CityFlyer yet. BACF is effectively treated as a separate company, as far as I'm aware they aren't part of the MSL, so time spent here doesn't count towards seniority at LHR or LGW. They have a single aircraft type, so I presume seniority is less complicated. I don't have much of an inkling as to how their rostering system works. My understanding is that you have to apply as an external candidate if you want to go to LHR or LGW but you skip part of the early application process.
Of course the above could all change, maybe some of it has already and it possibly will in the next few years (the airline world can change very quickly) but from my research that's pretty much how it seems. I'd very much welcome input from anyone who has first-hand experience of the system.
Fantastic - appreciate the detailed reply, thanks!