If an existing 73 type-rated pilot is recruited into BA on their 73 fleet, is he/she "type-frozen" on that fleet for 5 years, or is it the case that the "frozen" pilots are those who joined BA on a different fleet to that they were currently type-rated on because BA obviously picks up this cost?
Previous type ratings make little or no difference in this respect.
If the aforementioned pilot is not "type frozen", is he/she eligible from day one (or at such time as the annual bid process commences) to bid onto another fleet? Is my understanding correct that this bid would be considered in line with the pilots seniority, and honoured or declined as a result, notwithstanding the fact that if the company needed you anywhere within the first 5 years, it is able to re-locate you accordingly? This re-location occurs in order of juniority?
You are always eligible to bid. However, that bid will have no effect unless you are partially 'unfrozen' at some point. This can happen at any time if there is a lack of demand for a particular posting - technically known as a 'freeze waiver'.
Is it possible that re-location these days would indeed include possible destinations such as MAN or BHX or is the choice purely between LGW or LHR?
Who knows what will happen in the next five years? If you plan on being shunted anywhere during that period, things will generally turn out better than you thought.
In addition, no figures are included for fleet expansion. Whilst the fleet has not expanded for ~5 years, if normalized fleet expansion is considered over the last 20 years, by how much has the pilot workforce grown? Again, is 1%/year a realistic figure?
We consistently manage to get more work done with less pilots, so I wouldn't hold out too much hope there, although the 900hr maximum is becoming a limiting factor.
If this is the case, the cumulative effect of both the above is effectively to add 60 pilots per year to the retirement figures in Big Kahuna Burger's table. This makes ~6 years difference to TTC.
Probably completely cancelled out then reversed by the effects of 2006, unfortunately.
What would be helpful is if the figures for the last 20 years are also made available and the reality compared with what was predicted 20 years ago. This affords the would-be applicant a more balanced view although past performance is no guarantee of future performance.
Sorry, don't have them to hand. I think
BKB's predictions are probably not a million miles away.
What are the latest best guesses as to fleet composition/number in the next 5 years? Is a particular fleet expanding/shrinking?
Yours, I should think.
At the moment, what BA
wants and what it can
have are kept apart by a few billion £'s of debt. My guess would be A321,350,(380) and B777-300,7E7 as being on the Christmas list...