Are 200-hr, piston, integrated students a safer bet than a non-BA-TR'd captain who wants to fly for BA? Are Oxford's integrated students an iota better than a modular guy from a smaller outfit? If they are, I'd like to see the evidence. I think CanadianKid has it right.
But in reality, it doesn't make the slightest bit difference why BA prefers to take integrated students. It may be the case that the biggest factor is the reduced administrative burden and the - apparent - "risk elimination" that a long-term, preferred supplied can provide over a smaller modular school, or even over a pilot who's flown for other large types for another airline. Of course BA will always make the decision which it deems the safest, cheapest and easiest for them, and no-one can really blame them for that.
But in my opinion the most annoying about this story is the Oxford way of marketing itself: Join us, and you'll land on the right seat of an airliner.
Does the recent uptake of a few integrated guys into BA guarantee any specific individual who now enrols on the APP a job at the end? No. Does it even increase his chances of getting straight into an airline? No. But hey, hand over your 60 grand, dress in a slick uniform, walk around feeling like a 747 captain - and you just might get there in the end! On the other hand, you might end up with a mountain of debt, low hours, and no job at all. For those who can easily gamble this sort of money, it may well be worth it. It's just sad that for so many others, the story ends in tears...