BA Bashers.....
What is it with people always complaining that BA crew are greedy and recommending sacking them all and replacing them with cheap labour etc etc? Is it jealousy? Or something else? I don't get it.
I started at BA (LHR) four years ago, so am on the 'new contract'. BA is the third airline I have worked for as Cabin Crew, having worked for bmi and Virgin before. FINALLY I am really happy to work for a company that I feel treats me well, looks after me and pays me well.
I typically earn around £1800 per month (take home/net), sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. I know this is more than I have ever earned before with other airlines and I feel privelidged to work for an airline that pays me so well. As sad as it sounds money is probably the best motivator you can get. After four years I still come to BA with a positive, motivated attitude. I get on the aircraft with a smile on my face and a 'can do' attitude. I feel happy to be there, well rested and happy earning good money. And I know that the only way to continue with the conditions and pay that I have is to do my part to keep our customers happy and coming back. There is no way I want to go back to earning £1200 a month and working like a dog for another airline!
Most of the people I work with are of the same opinion as me. Not with their head in the clouds taking their conditions for granted. We do get in the galley and chat about what Virgin or bmi or airtours or britannia was like to work for....and what they pay. And none of us want to go back there. I can pretty much count on one hand the amount of collegues that have (voluntarily ) left to go work for another airline.
There are some that slip through the net....hate the airline, hate the job, hate passengers. But they are the minority.
What is the point of saying stuff like 'do a swiss and sack them all and re-employ new ones'?? Swiss was bleeding like hell, BA is the most profitable airline in the world in 2004 (source ft.com). And do you know what contributed to BA's massive profits??? The hard work, professionalism and loyalty of it's crew!
I'm sure over time our working practices will change slowly. But it will always be a trade-off of what the company gives to the crew and what the crew give back to the company. The same way pay deals work in ANY industry.