I am a DEP and now fly the 400 for BA having done my first four years on the 757/767. The money seems very good but I have to say moving with a family to the South East to work shorthaul was costly and only a move out of the area will free up some of my salary. I can commute now on the 400 but would have to return to the South East for a shorthaul command. DEP's tend to be older than cadets and there is definitely a cut off age where joining BA will mean that you will never really be senior in the right or left hand seat if you follow the normal career progression (shorthaul fo longhaul sfo shorthaul command longhaul command.) You will therefore always be working weekends bank holidays etc. Luckily I was under 30 when I joined and now on longhaul have reasonable choices for my roster. If I leave the south East I will give up the opportunity for a shorhaul command but will be quite senior on the 400 and will have a great lifestyle. I enjoy working for BA and was very pleased to have been selected. It is a huge company that looks after its pilots better than most other UK airlines. However as BA each year reduces the gap by chipping away the benefits the moral especially for those that have known nothing else is low. Small companies can have low pay and ordinary terms and conditions but can be great fun to work for my last one was. You know the engineers the ground staff and all the pilots. BA is more like being a contract pilot you go to work do your job have a good trip come home and never see that crew again. Do you want the money or the lifestyle. This is just a heads up for those who want to join I wouldn't stop anyone from applying but if you are over 33-35 you will never be senior and the above will apply. The only warning I would give to all new entrants is that the pension change for new joiners will mean that you would have to pay a large part of your pay into the new scheme to have anything like the pension conditions we now luckily enjoy. Balpa are trying to mitigate your loss but the support for new entrants from those already in the airline may be limited. Good luck to all those who apply I hope you find that the grass is greener here I did.
