Tandemrotor, I have never read anyone's posts with as much despair and irritation as those of yourself and your BA ilk. You know perfectly well:
Don't misquote me - I never used the term stampede, and agree the exodus is not as great as rumoured - however wait for the market to continue opening up!
1. BA secondees ARE bidding back to mainline, not because of a threat to their actual safe future (golden parachutes as you say) but because the uncertain future of BACX as is means their current established regional lifestyle is at risk. If they decide to stay with BACX, there will always be a job for them back in mainline, but because of the retirement age issue, the jobs they perceive as being desirable will in the main no longer be attainable due their own, relatively reduced, seniority. (The relative reduction in this coming from people who might have been retiring, now staying on. At least, this is what three separate BA secondees have told me. The six of sixty does not however include all the people who have already left BACX this year, and who are currently working their notice, turning a redundancy bulge involving BALPA into a a hiring situation.
2. Ref progression to mainline. Again, it is not unusual for an airline like BA to be reasonably expected to allow some sort of career progression from a wholly owned subsidiary like BACX to its mainline operation. I know ALL the arguments relating to BA pilot's self interest, but even a partial observer might expect that the Company would give SOME sort of advantage to people it already employs to those from off the street. Even if it were progression to the bottom of your seniority list, thus not disadvantaging any of the current mainline bods. But no. Not just the Company, but also BA BALPA oppose this. They cite problems with City Flyer turboprop pilots, yet they managed to convert most I believe - who could object to being at least given a chance at a conversion , if one fails, one fails. To be excluded as a matter of policy is illogical, unjust, and demonstrates the sort of people running BA.
I agree with your last two paras however.