Great informative initial posting (very good food for thought indeed!), and good discussion (although got a bit hung up on the staff travel issue to start with, eh?).
We need to ensure that all perspective applicants get to see this!!
It would be a damned shame that someone might hand in their notice to their current employer, sign up with BA, and then find that they've made an enormous cock-up... frozen out from command for 15 years, working every weekend, crap pension.
I'm sure BA don't make these things clear in their recruitment literature, eh???
If BA put out their adverts and didn't get enough type-rated applicants (that's all they're looking for I think?), I'm sure they would soon adjust their new starter rates & pension... they'd have to!
It would seem that they are actually very short of pilots to crew the operation... they don't have any cadets under training at the moment (and none planned, I'm told), so that won't get them off the hook.
I'd like to see more postings like this by colleagues from all the operators... lets us know what we're really getting into if we decide to sign up with a new company.
This is a good thread, thanks for the info !